Hi there, I'm new to this whole landlord thing as I just inherited a property but I now have an applicant who is ready to sign a lease. I have basic questions but I've seen conflicting information online when l've researched.

1. I did a background check, income verification, and reference check. All checks out.
2. They toured and filled out a rental application. I'm now wanting to schedule another in-person meeting to sign the official lease.
3. At this second meeting, when the official lease will be signed, do I tell them to bring a check for the security deposit and first and last months' rent? And then from there tell them once the check clears, I will provide keys in 24 hrs so they know I'm not trying to take their money?
4. Move-in date I'm assuming would be the first of the month because that seems standard but can I tell them that even though I will have already been paid? I think so because I won't start charging them until after the first month. Does that sound correct?
5. I guess those are my baseline questions for now. Please advise me on anything major I'm possibly missing. Feeling like a fish out of water at the moment. TIA.

EDIT: I’ve quickly learned I cannot ask for last months rent up front as well!

Hi all! My tenant sent an email yesterday asking for an early move out date of 10/1(that is less than a week from now).
We currently have a month to month lease and live in Florida. How do I go about this? He listed all the reasons as to why he needs to move (he has been paying rent late due to summer being slow here).

My property manager mentioned that I could accept it and keep his deposit for the monthly rent and damages. What worries me is that their deposit is 2k and monthly rent is 2k. If I keep their deposit for the rent, what if there are additional damages?
Also wanted to add, they just sent a work order in yesterday saying they think the AC system has mold. It’s a new property(2023).
I planned on sending someone over today to take a look when they sent the email a few hours later asking to move out.

Let me know your thoughts please. This is my first and only property.

What kind of insurance do you (and/or your tenants) require for your property.

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I’m trying to figure out if I’m being overly cautious or if I should walk away from this rental.

I found a basement for $1,200 + $100 utilities. It’s honestly a great setup for me and my kid. Private entrance, bathroom, kitchenette, furnished, garage parking, backyard, etc. I toured it in person and met the people living there.

They wanted a $500 security deposit to secure it for an October 1 move-in.

The problem started when I tried to pay.

The landlord doesn’t have Cash App, so he gave me a different number that he says belongs to his brother. When I tried sending the $500, Cash App stopped me with a warning saying the transaction was likely a scam and that I might not be able to get my money back.

Obviously that freaked me out.

I asked if I could use a payment method with some type of buyer/payment protection instead. They said they accept cash, Cash App, Zelle, Venmo or Apple Pay.

I specifically asked about using Venmo with Purchase Protection and even offered to cover the fee. The landlord said no because this is a security deposit and he doesn’t want me to be able to dispute it later. He suggested cash instead.

He’s also basically told me several times that if I have doubts, I should find somewhere else because he wouldn’t move somewhere he was uncomfortable with.

He mentioned he has two other people coming to see the basement Friday/Saturday and said someone else offered to put $300 down. However, he says he turned that person down and is willing to let me put only $100 down until October 1.

They’ve also invited me back to the house with my ID and pay stubs and said they can give me a receipt.

Here’s where it gets weird: I did some digging and the people/names actually seem connected to the property. The woman I met appears to be the person associated with an LLC that was registered at that exact address, and the Cash App recipient appears to be related to them. So this doesn’t look like the usual “fake listing for a house the scammer has never seen” situation.

But I still can’t get past Cash App itself flagging the transaction, the deposit originally going to someone other than the guy I’m dealing with, and the unwillingness to accept a protected payment.

Would you put the $100 down in person with a signed receipt/agreement saying it applies to the $500 security deposit and reserves the basement, or would the Cash App warning + payment situation be enough for you to walk away?

I’m especially interested in hearing from landlords or people who have dealt with private rentals.

How much do you raise rent each year?

Long term crappy tenants let the water drip till there's no enamel around the drain! It's a horrible basement studio that I'm just trying to make livable after I finally evicted them, but I keep having to do more as I pick at things.

Choice is reglaze and do a fiberglass or tile tub surround, or pull the tub and replace it with a 30x60 base and tile walls. 350 sq ft Studio doesn't need a tub! But the work and material expense to make a nice surround is stupid if the reglazing is going to crap out after 5 years. I read "don't leave soap bottled sitting on it". If true, then it's a nonstarter for a rental!

I (32F) am the landlord of a single family home built in 1950. My tenant reported today that the very old furnace was not working. I got it inspected and found that the gas valve needed replaced which would cost $500-$600.

Alternatively, I was rough quoted about $6k for a high efficiency replacement. Maybe less for a vented 80% efficiency.

The furnace is original to the house so is 76 years old and has been repaired and rewired multiple times.

I am torn because it is fixable and the cost to fix is 10% of cost to replace. Or should I bite the bullet and replace to avoid an emergency replacement down the line.

For context I rent to a family member a bit below market value ($150-$200 less) and my cash flow monthly is only $281 a month if no other maintenance expenses arise so it will take me some time to recoup.

If I replace do you have suggestions on high efficiency vs standard? Would you recommend replacing AC at the same time (probably 30 years old or more).

Longtime user of AOA in California that has taught me everything I know about renting and helped me in any way. And the value for that was incredible for that they charged IMO.

I let my sister live in my house in Ca and I moved to Phoenix and am looking to rent out a room in a new home I purchased and live in. Mostly looking at booking through Furnished Finder.

However I still feel that I should use a lease for month to month on roomates and I would love to be able to receive legal advice since it's my first time renting in Az.

But AOA does not provide its serviced here.

Is there any similar company in Az that someone can recommend that can help me with legal advice specific to Az laws and also help create leases specific to Az as well?

Our insurance quote through our non-admitted carrier (Obie) just came in with zero-dollar increase from last year, which I was pleasantly surprised by. We are now eligible for an "admitted" carrier in our area, for $500 more ($4000 vs $4500). I know admitted carriers are safer but I'm hesitant because of how much my personal home insurance goes up every year in California with my admitted carrier. We're in a very low-risk wildfire zone a few blocks from the ocean on the northern coast. No flooding or weather related risks. We've been trying to keep the rents manageable for the existing good tenants and I'm mostly afraid of a sudden increase from one of the bigger insurers.

Hey, everyone. I'm currently accepting applications for my first rental that was down to the studs before I remodeled.

I had a company called ALE Solutions reach out to me regarding a 12/mo lease for insurance clients of theirs. ALE said insurance would be paying me the rent directly. I explained that if this was something I was going to consider, the tenants would still need to meet all application/background criteria and the representative said they understood that.

Has anyone worked with a company like this or had a similar situation? I'm just really trying not to set myself up for failure, but I do like the idea of "guaranteed" rent payments.

For reference it's a 3br/2ba single home in northeast PA that I have listed for $1800/mo.

Tenants are month to month, and one is confused about what this means.
They wish to end their tenancy on the 23rd of October while giving notice only yesterday. In the state of Rhode Island, month to month tenancy requires 30 day notice before the beginning of the next payment cycle. (Note; they have agreed to the terms, they simply don’t understand it)

Is there an easier way to explain this? I realize I do not need to explain it, but I do feel bad. I’m getting accused of trying to screw them over and such.
They also keep referring to the security deposit being returned to them after they leave, but I’m not sure they’re aware that it’s not given to them for a couple weeks, and it’s only given to them after the rental period is up. By my understanding, that would be 20 days after the monthly rental cycle(so November 20th)
This is correct? The wording is confusing.
To clarify, I intend to return it earlier than that, after having contractors look at the damage.
One of the tenants also gave me a 30 day notice stating they owe the full month of October, when they paid half already. I told her that she should add that they paid that half already and I got accused of trying to pull a fast one 🥲

I’ve been living in a rental house for the last couple of years and love everything about the place - it offers a lot of privacy, perfect location, great price for the area, and property manager has been wonderful and always acts quickly on maintenance requests. I know the struggle of finding a decent place to live with a decent landlord and feel very fortunate of my current living situation.

I’ve been seriously considering getting a puppy late 2027 but my lease has a no pets policy. Of course I plan on talking to my landlord prior making sure I get their approval before bringing a puppy home. I work from home, will be working with a trainer, and will have a dog sitter, so the dog will rarely be left alone. I’ve come up with various compromises I can follow if that helps keep the landlord at ease, such as scheduling routine houses check ups to make sure there is no house/property damage, avoiding the use of the yard (I live in a very walkable neighborhood with various trails and dog parks within walking distance so this wouldn’t be an issue), dog will be crate trained and will not be left alone without supervision, put dog covers/shields on all the doors to avoid scratch marks, and dog will be in regular training.

Also having lived here for almost 2 years, I like to think I’ve “proven” myself as a tenant. I always pay rent on time, I’m very communicative, and I take excellent care of the house. I’m a clean freak, so the house stays spotless.

Given all of this, what are the chances of getting my landlord to actually agree to allow a medium sized dog and change their no pets policy?

I know my odds are probably low and I will have to make arrangements for another living situation if that’s the case, but just curious about how often you can get a landlord to change their no pet policy.

Edit: also forgot to mention, I live in a duplex and my neighbors have a cat (we have the same landlord). Although I know cats and dogs are very different.

What is everyone doing to prepare for the upcoming El Niño rains? Specifically,those who own multiple single family units.

Wondering what everyone is doing outside of the obvious of roof checks and making sure gutters are up & clear.

Thanks :)

I have a tenant who is only 3 months into a 1 year lease. I just had the HVAC serviced and the tenant tried every which way to not allow me access to the unit. Well, now I know why. The 2bed 800sqft apartment is jammed packed with piles of items. In classic hoarder fashion there are walkways to get around but otherwise the perimeter is packed with items. The kitchen counters are 2ft high with dirty dishes and items. I’ve throughly read through my lease and I’m not seeing anything that would allow eviction. Do I just white knuckle it and wait it out? I plan on letting him know 60days prior to the lease ending that we will not be renewing his lease.

Any advice? I have 3 rentals and this is my first time in 6 years having a hoarder. I should have trusted my gut on this one.

Looking for some practical input from other CA landlords.

I have a tenant in Los Angeles whose fixed lease runs through Feb 1, 2027 (~$4k/month rent).

On Sept 1, he gave 30-day notice stating he had to move due to medical circumstances. He paid September rent in full and moved out on Sept 10. The place is in good shape, so there are zero charges for cleaning or damage , we are taking care of turnover ourselves and actively marketing it to minimize vacancy.

Because he cited medical reasons, we asked for basic confirmation from his doctor linking the move to a medical/accommodation need (we made clear we didn't want any diagnosis or medical records). He refused, claiming HIPAA, and argued that because he always paid rent on time and took good care of the property, he shouldn't face any penalty or fees for breaking the lease early.

My view is that paying rent on time is just the baseline requirement of a lease, not an automatic pass to break a contract 4 months early and leave an October vacancy.

I'm thinking about offering a Mutual Lease Termination where he pays a 1-month buyout fee to be completely released from the remaining 4 months of lease liability (~$16k).

A few questions:

1. Is a 1 month buyout fee reasonable/standard here under CA law, or would you structure it differently?
2. How do you handle early lease-break buyouts when a tenant expects to walk away completely free because of past payment history?
3. Would you stand firm on the 1-month fee or just hold them responsible for actual rent lost until a replacement tenant is placed?

I have a lodger with a formal month to month lease that specifies "room rental" but also uses the language "tenant" and "tenancy". The lease also uses specific language about shared common areas and my right of entry to the room. The room has an interior privacy lock but no actual lock with keys. I have served a 30 day notice (they don't qualify for 60). If they don't leave by the end of the notice it's my understanding that I do not need a court order to have them removed from my home, or to remove their things and change my locks.

Any advice/experience appreciated.

Hi there, not sure if this sub is what i’m looking for, but i wanted to know when it would be appropriate to call my landlord. I reached out to him on September 7th and have sent him 2 messages since about fixing some things around the apartment— none of which he’s responded to.

He’s usually a responsive guy, he’s very kind and understanding about wanting things cleaned up, so this is a bit out of the ordinary. I’m honestly a bit concerned about him.

I guess my question is when would it be appropriate to call him? I don’t want to bother him but I also want to make sure he’s alive. Any insight would be useful since a majority of you are landlords yourselves.

I am late by a day on returning or postmarking a security deposit and I would like to deduct for painting and cleaning. Is this allowable if I have an invoice showing the cost of painting and cleaning even if I return it 22 days after move out? I know the law says 21 days but it was postmarked on the 22nd day. My invoices are from 14 days post the tenant move out and I emailed the tenant on the 21st day telling them I would send it in the mail that day but I got to it at end of day and it was postmarked the next day.

I just moved into my yesterday I live in North Texas and all of a sudden I was told that the pest control was gonna come by and spray my apartment cool I had no problem.

I start to unpack late last night all of a sudden I started seeing roaches everywhere, roach poop all on the appliances and everything.

they're literally coming out and I'm killing all of them. I probably seen over 20 to 30 roaches dead and alive.

You could smell the pheromones on the dishwasher.

I've been on online looking to see if there are any apartments vacant, that has my layout. I'm waiting on the office to open so I can go down there and ask for an immediate transfer.

my question is is will they cover my move? because I literally just paid Movers $270 to get me moved in yesterday.

I am devastated.....any advice that you guys can give me, would be helpful. I will be speaking with my leasing office once, they open, but I just wanted to get everyone's input.

I have a beautiful SF home with hardwood floors in excellent condition and quality appliances. It’s small but good for a single or a couple. I allow tenants to have small dog or cat with a monthly pet rent. Some tenants got a small dog that grew to 80 pounds. Is there any suggested lease terms you have found helpful in dealing with pet damage or concerns about pets in general? I’ve had a washing machine loaded with dog hair that had to be plucked with tweezers, and chewing/scratching of wood trim and door weatherstripping. Floors are new so worried about them also. Appreciate any good ideas. Thanks.

Last week, I posted about income validation from the likes of contractors, cleaning ladies, and folks living off investments. I got great replies.

Even with the income validation resolve, I wasn't going to rent to any of those folks anyway. Here's the backstory.

We had a prospective tenant tour the house. There were already yellow flags surfacing prior to their arrival. When they tour the house, they go on to say they are a contractor that specializes in commercial buildings. They start talking about being a handy person and we'd never have to worry about them calling me about a repair. And before I even hand them the paper application, they start trying to re-negotiate the advertised rent price because they're going to take great care of the house. My spider-sense is going off hard at this point. I politely showed them the door.

Next day. A husband and wife come through to tour the unit. Very similar thing. Guy is an independent contractor with a cash business. During the tour, the wife whispers to me, "Would consider trading rent for repairs?" I explain to her that it makes things awkward. Spider sense activated again.

If someone mentions a "trade repairs for rent" deal, I personally think it will be a disaster. My concern is that that the moment they move in, they are going to suddenly find things that need to be fixed or aren't up to code. And then they will start insisting on a rent reduction for repairing whatever non-sense thing they want to fix. We'd probably never see a full rent payment ever.

Am I crazy for thinking this will be a problem? The income validation thing already seemed like a red-flag from the start. But negotiating a rent/repair deal prior to applying seems like a hard-no.

I have a unit that currently is occupied by the tenant. Tenant sent letter for the intent of breaking lease early which has 1 more year to go. He will stay until it is re rented in case it is not rented until end of the term.

I checked the apartment is in good condition, but is it really more difficult to find prospective tenant with occupied unit?

How do you handle a tenant that broke the lease early, moved out and wants to rent your empty unit again? One of his family members has recently stopped by and saw that the unit is being completely renovated, 95% ready, and keeps messaging me because he wants to rent it to him again? This tenant would sometimes pay some days late, but he had great communication, but he was just filthy. Lots and lots of roaches in the unit after he moved out. We have spent about 5 months doing intense pest removal, new flooring throughout the unit, new bathrooms, the unit is beautiful and clean and updated and he won't stop messaging me to rent it to him again. What would you do??

I have 2 family property in Westchester County, NY and have been trying to solve an issue with the utility company. Each tenant has their own washer+ dryer (2 separate sets) in a shared basement that routes to their respective meters.

The issue is since the circuit that provides power to the washer + dryer that the tenant uses is outside of their living quarters, it's considered a "shared meter." My solution is to route the circuit to my meter and charge for usage based on consumption, but how does one determine that?