The house is spotless, the walls are painted, the carpets are shampooed. Smoke detectors? Check. Carbon Monoxide Alarm? You betcha. Hot water tank set at 120 degrees? No problem. The ad is on Craig's List and the phone is ringing. Now comes the really hard part.

If you are a DIY landlord, the trickiest, scariest part of renting out your house is choosing a tenant. The right tenant will make the next Read the rest of this entry

Technorati Tags: eviction laws, find a good tenant

Before any landlord leasing property ever considers signing a lease agreement with a prospective tenant, it is vital that the landlord gets a signed rental application from each adult who will be included on the lease agreement. With this information, the landlord now has the ability to conduct an investigation known as a tenant screening or background check. This application should request key Read the rest of this entry

Technorati Tags: find a good tenant, screening tenants

Back with more news for you today. It's amazing how much good information there is on this stuff out there if you know where to look. Three in particular that I found really valuable were...

Reasons to Evict Tenants and Hiring Rental Lawyers

While each US state has different laws regarding tenant evictions, landlords should always know their rights. Most states have similar laws for evictions, and there Read the rest of this entry

Technorati Tags: eviction laws, find a good tenant

You need to have a set of business rules that take the emotion out of the decision. No exceptions...they either make the grade or they go. This will help assure you don't allow a seemingly nice person in who has a bad record or cant afford it......believe me, it can save a marriage or a partnership. Don't deviate from a good policy!

Establish the criteria and define the reasonableness of those criteria. Read the rest of this entry

Technorati Tags: find a good tenant, screening tenants

There are a lot of tenants nowadays due to the economic slump. Many lost their homes to foreclosure and now they are seeking more affordable homes to stay. Although there are a lot of potential tenants, not all of them are good. This is why you have to be careful. You do not want to have problematic tenants who will make your job more difficult. Take time when looking for tenants. This will surely Read the rest of this entry

Technorati Tags: eviction laws, find a good tenant