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:
Should Landlords Rent to Illegal Immigrants? Unbiased Pros & Cons
*Note on Terminology: Conservatives and liberals can’t even agree on terminology, with conservatives using the pejorative “illegal aliens” and liberals using the cuddly “undocumented immigrants.” We’ll split the difference here and use the term “illegal immigrants,”...
Tenant-Proof: 13 Rental Property Improvements to Fortify Against Damage
People are clumsy, dirty, accident-prone Tasmanian devils. That goes double for children, and says nothing of pets. Homeowners are no better, but they have so much money invested in their property that they take more care not to damage it. But renters? Fuhget about...
What’s the Best Property Management Software for Your Business?
Why work when you can automate? The whole point of investing in rental properties is passive income. If you're spending your nights and weekends manually collecting rental applications, writing lease agreements or collecting rent payments, you're doing it wrong. The...
What I Wish I Knew Before Investing in Rental Properties
To the uninitiated, investing in rental properties can look like a no-brainer route to financial independence and a steady passive income. After all, your tenants are covering your mortgage and other rental expenses, with little effort on your part! But if you don’t...
How to Increase Rents Without Losing Tenants (PLUS: Free Raise the Rent Letter)
Want a better return on your rental investments? Landlords need to understand how to tactfully and effectively raise rents, without losing their tenants. Turnovers can be costlier than a Kardashian’s wardrobe, so if you want to maximize ROI you need to minimize...
Underworld: How to Spot Professional Tenants Before They Bite
Professional tenants are vampires. They suck the lifeblood of both your property and the neighborhood, moving in with no intention to pay, and living rent-free for up to two years. If you think I’m being melodramatic, imagine paying the mortgage on your property for...
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