Help-renting house woes

[indigomama]

Okay, I know I've already mentioned we are trying to rent out our home because we making an out of state move.

 

A lot of people suggested getting a property manager but we do do not have the start up fees for a property management place. So, we have an ad on craigslist, and had some interest but no applicants.

 

Here's the scenario, would you have done things differently? Did I mess up?

 

Person #1 emails: In abbreviated "text" speak (which annoys me) tells me he and wife have one child, two dogs, stable employment, just sold house are interested in renting ours. I didn't respond right away because it frustrated me that he couldn't write in sentences, I wasn't sure we wanted to rent with someone who had two dogs, etc.

 

That afternoon person #2 emails: says DH and I really are interested have two dogs, one kid, could I call her.

 

I called, they were together, they made an appointment to come see the house. They drove up in a monster truck, very loud, lifted truck. They look at the house for a while, were kind of picky: are we going to clean that spot on the wall, are we going to pressure wash the house, are we going to pressure wash driveway, are we going to clean carpets, what are those vents for, etc. Also, the are not married and the young child is not his, and she is not working.

 

I told them yes we are in the middle of packing everything will be cleaned before we leave (our house is in very good condition, the nicest place I have ever lived in). Then they said they are planning on buying so they want a 6 month lease. We said we want a one year lease. They asked for a buy out fee if they leave early, I said there is one in the agreement. I said there is an extra deposit for the dogs. They took app and left.

 

They emailed that they wanted the place but she didn't want to be on the lease and could they please have a 6 month lease, they would help us re rent it when they moved. And would we waive a early lease buy out option. Could they set up a time to return application

 

We emailed back, everyone over 18 has to be on the lease, we need a one year lease, no we wouldn't waive the fees. The whole thing was stressing me out, I emailed again saying, we were canceling our appointment to meet with them because we really need a tenant that plans on staying long term.She emailed back saying she was really upset, they thought the place was theirs they were going to sign the lease and if they left early would pay fees. Said we made them turn down other houses and reiterated she was really upset.

 

I feel relieved to be moving on, but should I feel bad for turning them down?

[elegantlion]

Goodness, no! You're moving out of state and they are already trying to tell you what they want to do. Sounds like you avoided a problem, imo. If they turned down other homes and had NOTHING signed with you, that is their problem, not yours.

 

The last thing you want is tenant issue when you aren't even in the same state and have no in town management.

 

Consider yourself lucky.

[Harriet Vane]

This person is not being reasonable. At all. You never had an agreement. Until the lease is agreed upon and signed, all parties are free to explore other options.

[QuirkyKidAcademy]

Next! Don't feel badly. She's just trying to manipulate you.

[Impish]

Goodness, no! You're moving out of state and they are already trying to tell you what they want to do. Sounds like you avoided a problem, imo. If they turned down other homes and had NOTHING signed with you, that is their problem, not yours.

 

The last thing you want is tenant issue when you aren't even in the same state and have no in town management.

 

Consider yourself lucky.

:iagree:Sounds like she was trying to manipulate you.

Absolutely do NOT feel bad! ONE TIME we rented to a non-married couple (they lied) and it was a nightmare.

I fail to see what a marriage licence, or lack thereof, has to do w/someone being a good tenant or not :confused:

[besroma]

I wouldn't give it another thought....way too many red flags.

[Lady Marmalade]

Next! Don't feel badly. She's just trying to manipulate you.

 

:iagree: Why on earth were they being so particular about such a short term living arrangement for them?

 

I wouldn't feel bad, and look forward to meeting with the right family who wants to take care of your home.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

She emailed back saying she was really upset, they thought the place was theirs they were going to sign the lease and if they left early would pay fees. Said we made them turn down other houses and reiterated she was really upset.

 

This is 110% THEIR problem, not yours. Since when does walking away with a blank app constitute a commitment of any kind?! I would tell her exactly that. No, run far and run fast from these people, and don't feel an ounce of guilt.

 

If you're going to be out of town while people are renting your house, you're going to need to be VERY selective, and people who act like this will not be good tenants. Be prepared to develop a very thick skin during this process. People who will manipulate you like this are people who will wreck your home. Be strong!

[justLisa]

This is 110% THEIR problem, not yours. Since when does walking away with a blank app constitute a commitment of any kind?! I would tell her exactly that. No, run far and run fast from these people, and don't feel an ounce of guilt.

 

If you're going to be out of town while people are renting your house, you're going to need to be VERY selective, and people who act like this will not be good tenants. Be prepared to develop a very thick skin during this process. People who will manipulate you like this are people who will wreck your home. Be strong!

 

 

Exactly. Problems from THIS point are going to be times one hundred million once they are in the house.

[susankenny]

Goodness, no! You're moving out of state and they are already trying to tell you what they want to do. Sounds like you avoided a problem, imo. If they turned down other homes and had NOTHING signed with you, that is their problem, not yours.

 

The last thing you want is tenant issue when you aren't even in the same state and have no in town management.

 

Consider yourself lucky.

 

:iagree:

[marbel]

You should not feel bad about it at all. They came off in your description as very rude and demanding.

 

This is an aside, but have you checked with your homeowner's policy regarding renters? We rented out a house for a while and we were required to have someone listed as property manager. Not tenant. In our case, our tenants were friends whom we trusted, but it didn't matter. We asked another friend if he would consider himself property manager and be a backup in case of emergency, so it worked out for us.

 

Maybe you covered this is your original posts on the topic, but if not, please check that out. Even if you don't have a professional property manager involved, do you have a local person who can check on the house, take care of minor repairs, etc?

[indigomama]

You should not feel bad about it at all. They came off in your description as very rude and demanding.

 

This is an aside, but have you checked with your homeowner's policy regarding renters? We rented out a house for a while and we were required to have someone listed as property manager. Not tenant. In our case, our tenants were friends whom we trusted, but it didn't matter. We asked another friend if he would consider himself property manager and be a backup in case of emergency, so it worked out for us.

 

Maybe you covered this is your original posts on the topic, but if not, please check that out. Even if you don't have a professional property manager involved, do you have a local person who can check on the house, take care of minor repairs, etc?

 

 

Yes, our insurance said we needed to find new insurance if we did not have a property manager, so we were going to start calling insurance companies. I didn't know we could list a friend, they don't have to have a PM license? We do have friends who are going to be local contact people for us in cases of emergency and repairs.

 

 

 

Thank you everyone. I was really stressing about this. DH said to just shake them off, and it's nice to hear others agree.

 

IMP, the issue for us at least wasn't that they aren't married, it was just that it seemed pointless to lie and say they were. For us it was a red flag followed by many. If they were willing to lie about something that was never an issue what else could come up.

[marbel]

Yes, our insurance said we needed to find new insurance if we did not have a property manager, so we were going to start calling insurance companies. I didn't know we could list a friend, they don't have to have a PM license? We do have friends who are going to be local contact people for us in cases of emergency and repairs.

 

In our case the property manager didn't have to be licensed or a professional, just someone who would be responsible for overseeing the property, who was also not the tenant. But, I would imagine insurance companies and even state laws differ. Hope you are able to get a good resolution!

[southcarolinamom]

You did the right thing! Go with your gut when it comes to renting out your property.

 

We were landlords of our home for 5 years - we went through 3 sets of tenants during that time:

 

1. Family #1 - A husband/wife/2 children family with an outdoor dog - they paid their rent on time very month. Unfortunately, they moved out without ANY warning to us, and left behind a disgusting mess - dusty ceiling fans, dirty carpet, and they let their young children put dozens of stickers on the windows, which we had a heck of a time peeling off.

 

2. Family #2 - two women, 2 children, -- they struggled every month to pay the rent, were often late, and ended up moving out b/c they couldn't pay. Unbeknownst to us, they didn't pay the trash pick-up fee for several months, so the local garbage truck company wouldn't remove all the stuff they left behind, that we had to clean up and haul off to the landfill ourselves. They didn't have enough money to pay the natural gas bill, so the gas company cut off their gas heat. We had to pay a fee to have it turned back on. Sigh. Two weeks after they moved out, one of the tenants had the nerve to write me a letter and said we owed them their leasing fee back. I don't think so! It turned out these tenants gave out our home phone number to the local hospital, so when the tenants left town, and left behind a medical bill, the hospital tried to reach them, but got me instead. Grrr.

 

3. Family #3 - Super nice family - husband and wife, 2 sons - homeschoolers, in fact. We rented to them month-by-month. She was very neat and clean, they had no pets. We ended up selling that home to my parents 4 months after they moved in, but allowed these tenants to stay in the house rent-free for 2 months, as our way of saying thank you for this unexpected decision.

 

Another poster was correct - you have to develop a thick skin. The right family will come along soon. They are worth waiting for.

[scrappyhappymama]

My experience with renting out a home is that the application and rental process is a lot like dating. Everyone puts on their best face while dating, and applying. If red flags go up now, when they should be putting their best foot forward, then they are not likely to be good tenants.

 

We have also been long distance landlords, and you should definitely follow your instincts on trying to find a long term, stable tenant. You really don't want to be having to fly back and cleaning/repairing and re-renting a home because your tenant up and moves with little notice because something better came along and they think they have an "anytime out" written into the lease. If they are asking for you to allow it with no fee now, chances are they will move out and quit taking your calls and refuse to pay it later. It's just not worth the trouble.

 

I know it's stressful, but holding out and waiting for a more ideal tenant is absolutely worth it.

[Bang!Zoom!]

Do you have a background check clause in your paperwork? Credit check, application fees? References for everyone over 18?

 

I would also wonder about mandatory renter insurance being part of the deal on their dime (with about a million other things). We have always lived in really strict communities with difficult management, it does keep the riff raff down.

 

If you want to offer a 6 month lease, lots of places do that, but with a premium price. Breaking a lease is tremendously expensive around here.

 

When we first arrived, one property manager wouldn't even turn the key to inspect unless we were ready to put a 100 dollar deposit on hold just for that initial inspection.

 

The questions they were asking and commenting about were NOT the sorts of things one hears from seasoned renters. Red flags everywhere, positively count your blessings this didn't go through.

 

I'm really relieved for you.

 

This was a huge, huge nightmare waiting to happen.

[tex-mex]

You know you can rent via a real estate agent -- who becomes the property manager. We did this with out of state property we rented. The real estate agent took the first month's rent as their "fee" and we kept the deposit and last month's rent. The real estate agent has a legal contract, which saved us a lot of headaches when (and it did) it came to evictions. I asked for a non-refundable application fee to pay for a criminal/credit background check. If they passed the background check and I was able to verify employment -- they were good to rent from us. Rent included water/trash/lawn service/fire (sprinkler) alarm -- everything else was on their dime. Because it was a 4-plex, we had to pay for a million dollar umbrella insurance policy but the tenants knew (in the contract) they had to carry renter's insurance for their possessions. HTH

Edited October 7, 2012 by tex-mex

[bttrflyvld]

First of all don't let her try to manipulate you. It's not your problem that she turned down others. If she's starting to be picky and minipulate now, just wait till she's in a lease and living in your house. Ok I'm speaking from experience, Don't rent your house if it's at all possible. You will never get it back in the same condition to which you rented it. If you even have an idea that you will sell it in near start the process now while it's easier to show. Once you get someone living in your house it will be impossible to show it. We tried to sell it when we had someone living in it and it was impossible. They turned into slobs that would even pick up their dirty stinky cloths when we tried to show it. Of course no one wanted to buy a nasty looking house.

 

Second make sure that everyone over 18 is on the contract. Or you will run into her leaving him and the house and he will stop paying the rent and say it's her fault. Also if someone else is living in the house over 18 not on the lease they tent not to follow your contract and rules. Our renters decided to allow their famiily to live in with them and one of them smoked in the back yard and her cloths stunk up the inside of the room she was staying in (we had a absolutely no smoking renters rule because we didn't want our house to smell like smoke).

 

3rd speaking from experience don't let them have pets. No one takes care of someone elses property like their own. We love animals and had several of our own so we thought it would be ok to let them have their kitten. (which they told us is was a female) Turns out it was an unfixed male who marked every corner and wall of the entire house. But of course they didn't tell us. Once we found out we asked them to remove the animal, but the damage was already done. (You ever smelled a house that's been marked by a cat?) It took 3 carpet cleanings, professional cleaners and 6 months for the house to stop smelling like a barn. And it still stunk.

 

4th make sure you look at credit reports. It will cost you something like $20 to have one printed (charge them for it as their application fee. It's well worth your time. You will find out so much from that little paper. We had one printed and saw that they had bankruptcies and late payment on their record. I didn't feel comfortable renting to them with that record but my husband felt pressure to get it rented so I gave in. Big mistake! They were late on their 2nd months rent and they never caught up. We asked them to leave on month 4 but it took them 7 months to leave which left us $2500 behind. They never did pay us the full amount even after we took them to court to which ended in them filing for bankruptcy again.

 

From someone who been their and done that I'd recommend that if you have to rent and selling isn't an option, if you will be out of state get a company to manage it. It will be worth the peace of mind to know someone is checking up on the place. But if you can just sell it. It will be so much easier. Believe me. sorry for the novel. I guess I'm still bitter. Good luck and don't let anyone push you around.

[regentrude]

Red flag.

She tries to make you feel guilty.

YOU are the owner and can decide to whom to rent. People who argue already about the rules will be potential trouble makers. These are not tenants you need, especially if you will not be in town.

[tex-mex]

Red flag.

She tries to make you feel guilty.

YOU are the owner and can decide to whom to rent. People who argue already about the rules will be potential trouble makers. These are not tenants you need, especially if you will not be in town.

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[indigomama]

Thank you, everyone.

 

Yes, we stated in the ad and I've reminded everyone, that we are charging a fee and will run a credit report and a background report. And we will verify employment and references. We've also asked that they provide pay stubs or tax returns.

 

It's super stressful, but I know there are good tenants out there, hoping they call soon!

[southcarolinamom]

Do you have a background check clause in your paperwork? Credit check, application fees? References for everyone over 18?

 

I would also wonder about mandatory renter insurance being part of the deal on their dime (with about a million other things). We have always lived in really strict communities with difficult management, it does keep the riff raff down.

 

If you want to offer a 6 month lease, lots of places do that, but with a premium price. Breaking a lease is tremendously expensive around here.

 

When we first arrived, one property manager wouldn't even turn the key to inspect unless we were ready to put a 100 dollar deposit on hold just for that initial inspection.

 

The questions they were asking and commenting about were NOT the sorts of things one hears from seasoned renters. Red flags everywhere, positively count your blessings this didn't go through.

 

I'm really relieved for you.

 

This was a huge, huge nightmare waiting to happen.

 

:iagree:

[TranquilMind]

indigomama:

 

Here's the scenario, would you have done things differently? Did I mess up?

 

Person #1 emails: In abbreviated "text" speak (which annoys me) tells me he and wife have one child, two dogs, stable employment, just sold house are interested in renting ours. I didn't respond right away because it frustrated me that he couldn't write in sentences, I wasn't sure we wanted to rent with someone who had two dogs, etc.

 

I'd skip this one too. Text speak is inappropriate and juvenile: not my target tenant. And I DO NOT accept pets. Period. Well, I have made 3 exceptions in 12 years, all for 8 year old labs that the mature tenant had owned since puppyhood, all with good previous landlord recommendations, and dogs who were calm and quiet, and whom I was able to meet beforehand. Those are the only sorts of exceptions I ever make. So I would simply respond to this one that we are not interested in multiple pets, but thank you for your response.

 

That afternoon person #2 emails: says DH and I really are interested have two dogs, one kid, could I call her.

 

Ditto. I never accept multiple pets, so that's a auto-reject. And when someone says they have "dogs", it is almost always a negative. Good tenants says things like, "I have an 8 year old Maltese" not "a dog". That generally means pit bull, rottweiler, or some other dog you don't want. Just speaking from long experience here.

 

I called, they were together, they made an appointment to come see the house. They drove up in a monster truck, very loud, lifted truck. They look at the house for a while, were kind of picky: are we going to clean that spot on the wall, are we going to pressure wash the house, are we going to pressure wash driveway, are we going to clean carpets, what are those vents for, etc. Also, the are not married and the young child is not his, and she is not working.

 

Ok, the problem here is that you did no prescreening on the phone, it appears. You just let them show up because you talked to them, which is a waste of your time. No applicant EVER gets to see the property until he answers the following questions: 1) When are you intending to move? (If 3 months from now or tomorrow...both are bad.) 2) How MANY people will be moving with you? (you want a reasonable number and not a lot of unrelated individuals or multiple families). 3) We require X income (MINIMUM 3X rental amount, so if your rent is $1000 per month, they need to have income of $3000), will that be a problem? 4) How many pets do you have and what kind?

 

These people would not interest me. I only take tenants who are falling over themselves gushing how much better this house is than all the others they have seen. Or maybe quiet but very interested, and very satisfied with what they are seeing. Anyone who complains when on best behavior at a showing will be a nightmare.

 

I told them yes we are in the middle of packing everything will be cleaned before we leave (our house is in very good condition, the nicest place I have ever lived in). Then they said they are planning on buying so they want a 6 month lease. We said we want a one year lease. They asked for a buy out fee if they leave early, I said there is one in the agreement. I said there is an extra deposit for the dogs. They took app and left.

 

Auto reject. You do NOT want to do this again in 6 months, trust me. And you don't pets, especially in what was your personal home.

 

They emailed that they wanted the place but she didn't want to be on the lease and could they please have a 6 month lease, they would help us re rent it when they moved. And would we waive a early lease buy out option. Could they set up a time to return application

 

No, no, and no. She doesn't want to be on the Lease because there is a negative in her background, either terrible credit or a criminal history. NO tenant over the age of 18 is unscreened. Credit, criminal history, employment verification and previous landlord checks. That's what you tell them.

 

We emailed back, everyone over 18 has to be on the lease, we need a one year lease, no we wouldn't waive the fees.

 

Ha. Good job. I just typed that before I got to this. ;)

 

 

The whole thing was stressing me out, I emailed again saying, we were canceling our appointment to meet with them because we really need a tenant that plans on staying long term.She emailed back saying she was really upset, they thought the place was theirs they were going to sign the lease and if they left early would pay fees. Said we made them turn down other houses and reiterated she was really upset.

 

 

Heck, no. You made no promises, signed nothing, and took no money. You would have taken no money without them passing screening anyway, except an application fee. Tell them you wish them well in their search for a home, and mark them as "NO" on your cell if they call.

 

 

I feel relieved to be moving on, but should I feel bad for turning them down?

 

Only if you enjoy nightmare tenants.

[TranquilMind]

I fail to see what a marriage licence, or lack thereof, has to do w/someone being a good tenant or not :confused:

 

It has everything to do with character and commitment. I once took a couple with terrible credit - but they had been extremely honest, documented how it was due to a business failure, and ...they had been married for over 30 years.

 

I took a chance on my gut reaction that if they could commit to each other, and stick it out, maybe they could commit to my Lease. Excellent tenants who paid early and who stayed in residence for years.

 

Unmarried tenants do not do this. They break up, or move on, or sometimes buy houses and get married. I consider long term committed couples who are clearly moving toward marriage, but not just people who demonstrate no commitment. It does matter, in my almost 13 years of landlording experience. I want people who stay for years, not people who change partners and houses on a regular basis. And that's what I get.

 

And lest some jump on this, NO, marital status is not a federally protected category, though it is in some states. Familial status, on the other hand, which pertains to the presence of children, is a protected status.

[TranquilMind]

:iagree: Why on earth were they being so particular about such a short term living arrangement for them?

 

I wouldn't feel bad, and look forward to meeting with the right family who wants to take care of your home.

 

The "We are going to buy a house soon" line is intended to manipulate the landlord into believing, hopefully, without checking!, that these are solid, financially astute tenants. Rarely do these people actually buy a house soon, especially with all the other red flags. Those who actually will buy a house soon are very solid financially and have been transferred to my city for a great job. We all fight over transferees. They have been among my best tenants. They do leave in a year or two to buy houses, usually.

[TranquilMind]

indigomama: Yes, our insurance said we needed to find new insurance if we did not have a property manager, so we were going to start calling insurance companies. I didn't know we could list a friend, they don't have to have a PM license? We do have friends who are going to be local contact people for us in cases of emergency and repairs.

 

This must be a new requirement after the financial meltdown. I have non-owner occupied insurance on my houses, but I'm sure if there were the slightest hint of a claim, they are dumping landlords right and left.

 

 

 

IMP, the issue for us at least wasn't that they aren't married, it was just that it seemed pointless to lie and say they were. For us it was a red flag followed by many. If they were willing to lie about something that was never an issue what else could come up.

 

Right. It is never more true than in landlording that "He who is faithless in little is faithless in much". Even one lie is a major, major auto-reject.

[TranquilMind]

Another poster was correct - you have to develop a thick skin. The right family will come along soon. They are worth waiting for.

 

Absolutely. Landlords have a saying, "An empty house is better than a bad tenant." So true.

[NotSoObvious]

The loud truck would be a no from the get go! I like my neighbors too much!

 

We are landlords and I would NOT rent to these people!

[Scrub Jay]

 

I took a chance on my gut reaction that if they could commit to each other, and stick it out, maybe they could commit to my Lease. Excellent tenants who paid early and who stayed in residence for years.

 

Unmarried tenants do not do this. They break up, or move on, or sometimes buy houses and get married. I consider long term committed couples who are clearly moving toward marriage, but not just people who demonstrate no commitment. It does matter, in my almost 13 years of landlording experience. I want people who stay for years, not people who change partners and houses on a regular basis. And that's what I get.

 

And lest some jump on this, NO, marital status is not a federally protected category, though it is in some states. Familial status, on the other hand, which pertains to the presence of children, is a protected status.

 

Wow, then I guess when DH and I lived together for 4+ years before marriage we were crappy tenants by the mere fact we lived the lives we were comfortable living.

 

Oh, wait, that's not true. And, in fact, we have always been told what excellent tenants we are - married or not.

 

I live in a very liberal place and most of our friends are liberal (not just meaning politics but most live with their spouses before marriage, etc) but I cannot think of one friend/acquaintance who changes partners and houses on a "regular basis." :001_huh:

[Bang!Zoom!]

I'd be really nervous if I went to rent and my landlord didn't screen me into a migraine. I really expect to be drilled and required to do first/last months rent, security deposit, insurance proof, registrations of cars, contact details..everything ad nauseum for lawn/sewage/garbage/noise/utilities/parking/repairs...the list just goes on and on-and I'm just talking taking care of basics of the property.

 

We just had to run archive copies of our last rental/lease agreement- it is 41 pages long. It's like signing on a house, and it's been that way every place we've rented, and I think we've had about 9 of these in the last five or so years.

 

They have to screen pets as custom also, and that means that the managers here take the animals out, play with them to check for aggression issues and provide all the companion papers from vets.

 

The HOA we have is a thousand million zillion times worse as a process and legal landscape than renting with pets- I can't even begin to describe it.

[staceyobu]

Absolutely. Landlords have a saying, "An empty house is better than a bad tenant." So true.

 

I may look to you for tips if we wind up moving and having to rent again! We rented our current house for awhile before buying it and had a mutual love-love relationship with our landlord and then bought the house from him. I'm a little worried now with four kids and an aging dog that we will have trouble finding another place to rent.

 

It's funny, though, when I initially contacted the landlord, he kept me on the phone chatting for close to an hour. I'm now realizing some of the chatting was probably "screening questions". Ha! I just thought he was really talky and interested in our lives!

[cathmom]

 

1. Family #1 - A husband/wife/2 children family with an outdoor dog - they paid their rent on time very month. Unfortunately, they moved out without ANY warning to us, and left behind a disgusting mess - dusty ceiling fans, dirty carpet, and they let their young children put dozens of stickers on the windows, which we had a heck of a time peeling off.

 

 

That's a disgusting mess? Please don't come visit me then! :001_huh:

[TranquilMind]

Wow, then I guess when DH and I lived together for 4+ years before marriage we were crappy tenants by the mere fact we lived the lives we were comfortable living.

 

Oh, wait, that's not true. And, in fact, we have always been told what excellent tenants we are - married or not.

 

I live in a very liberal place and most of our friends are liberal (not just meaning politics but most live with their spouses before marriage, etc) but I cannot think of one friend/acquaintance who changes partners and houses on a "regular basis." :001_huh:

 

Well, good for you. I've seen otherwise. However, if everything else about you as applicants had been steller: credit, clean criminal history, employment, previous landlord checks, and no pets, I would have accepted you too, as I did another set of tenants who got married while living in my house, and turned out to be among my best ever. I even separately purchased some window treatments the wife made. They walked away with their full deposit + $300. They will tell you that I am the best landlord they ever had, bar none.

 

I merely said above that their 30 year marriage was a significant plus in an otherwise negative situation for me, and that decision was a correct one. They turned out to be great tenants.

[TranquilMind]

I'd be really nervous if I went to rent and my landlord didn't screen me into a migraine. I really expect to be drilled and required to do first/last months rent, security deposit, insurance proof, registrations of cars, contact details..everything ad nauseum for lawn/sewage/garbage/noise/utilities/parking/repairs...the list just goes on and on-and I'm just talking taking care of basics of the property.

 

We just had to run archive copies of our last rental/lease agreement- it is 41 pages long. It's like signing on a house, and it's been that way every place we've rented, and I think we've had about 9 of these in the last five or so years.

 

 

 

Goodness. We are attorneys and don't have leases like that, or require everything you mention! You'd love us.:tongue_smilie:

[TranquilMind]

I may look to you for tips if we wind up moving and having to rent again! We rented our current house for awhile before buying it and had a mutual love-love relationship with our landlord and then bought the house from him. I'm a little worried now with four kids and an aging dog that we will have trouble finding another place to rent.

 

It's funny, though, when I initially contacted the landlord, he kept me on the phone chatting for close to an hour. I'm now realizing some of the chatting was probably "screening questions". Ha! I just thought he was really talky and interested in our lives!

 

If he spent an hour with you, he IS talky! I've had nice long conversations with people, but while some screening questions get in there, we mostly talk about things we have in common. It's a good way to get to know someone. We don't have to have a lot in common, but we will have certain values in common if this person is going to become my tenant.

 

I'd take your aging dog, so long as it is calm and I'd never know it had been there when you moved out! ;)