Renting out your house: how to find a reliable tenant

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules on rent, deposits and notice differ by state. Have a lawyer read your agreement.

A good tenant pays on time, looks after the home and leaves on good terms. You cannot guarantee that, but a careful process makes it far more likely.

Before you list

• Fix what is broken and make the home clean. It lets you ask for a fair rent and attracts better applicants.
• Look at similar homes nearby and price yours alongside them, not far above or below.
• Decide your rules in advance: who can live there, pets, sub-letting, visitors and smoking.

Screening an applicant

1. Meet the applicant in person, and meet everyone who will live there.
2. Ask about work or study, and ask for proof of identity.
3. Ask for a reference from a previous landlord and call them.
4. Trust your own sense. If the story keeps changing, move on.

The agreement and the deposit

• Put the rent, due date, deposit, notice period, repairs and rules in a written agreement that both sides sign.
• Record the condition of the home with dated photos, and have the tenant sign them.
• Take payments by a method that leaves a record, and give a receipt.

During the tenancy

Respond to repair requests promptly, give notice before you visit, and keep records of everything. Good communication prevents most disputes.

To find applicants, post your property on Bhavano. Look at houses for rent and apartments for rent to see how similar homes are presented, and share our questions to ask before signing a rental agreement with your tenant, since the agreement works best when both sides understand it.