Leasing & Onboarding New Renters
Everything you need to know about signing new lease agreements and onboarding new tenants.
Preparing to sign a lease agreement?
Don’t sign it lightly.
Have you collected rental applications from a large pool of candidates? Have you run credit, criminal and eviction reports on all applicants? Collected application fees or charged the screening reports to the renter, to verify they’re committed?
If you’ve done all that, and made all the phone calls to verify income, employment, housing history, etc., and you feel 100% rock solid about this tenant… now you need to make sure you have a defensive lease agreement.
Think of your lease agreement as your shield, your armor. Most state landlord-tenant laws are extremely tenant-friendly, and designed to protect the renter, not the landlord. That means you’re responsible for protecting yourself.
How do you do that? With a comprehensive, protective lease package. Read on for more details, and happy leasing!
“Required Reading” – Start Here First!
Want more? We have you covered! Here’s some further reading on lease agreements, security deposits, move-in and everything else you need to know about onboarding new renters.
Full Library of Leasing & New Tenancy Articles:
The Social Security Math Nobody Wants to Run (But Everyone Should)
The Short Version: The Social Security trust fund hits insolvency in 2032 per the trustees' own report, meaning a 21% benefit cut for anyone counting on it as a primary income source The average monthly benefit is $1,976 while average rent alone runs over $1,700,...
Why Housing Affordability Won’t Recover (And What Investors Should Do)
The Short Version: Mortgage rates above 6% for three years have structurally locked out millennials, who are tracking homeownership rates 17 points below boomers at the same age Households priced out of buying want yards, garages, and three bedrooms and will pay...
Why Most Real Estate Investors Underperform the S&P 500 (And How to Fix It)
The Short Version: A 20-year study shows retail investors earned 2.6% annually while the S&P 500 returned 7.2%... and most real estate investors fall into the same trap The gap between institutional and retail returns has nothing to do with capital size... it's...
Why Real Real Estate Is The Best Investment In the AI Era
The Short Version: Data centers now capture 35% of all real estate fundraising. Five years ago? 15%. Microsoft can't find enough power for AI. That scarcity is driving a $450B infrastructure build. Hyperscalers sign 10-20 year leases at 90%+ renewal rates. Try getting...
Morgan Stanley Says 2026 Is Real Estate’s Inflection Point
The Short Version: Morgan Stanley called 2026 "an inflection point." Translation: Wall Street already bought, they're just telling you now. Properties trading 20-25% below peak while retail investors wait for "confirmation." Institutional buyers moved in 6 months ago....
While Bitcoin Lost 40% in 2026, This Real Estate Fund Paid 16% Like Clockwork
The Short Version: Bitcoin lost 50% while one land fund paid 16%—for the 12th quarter straight. "Digital gold" crashed when chaos hit. Actual gold rallied to $6,000/oz. $100K in Bitcoin became $50K. In real estate? $16K/year in cash, every quarter. The wealthy stack...
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