Purchasing rental with no lease agreement

[Luke Boff]

How would it work if I were to purchase a rental property that the owner does not have a lease agreement for. Owner clams the tenants have lived there for 7 years and that they pay on time. What steps or documents can I bring into the deal to protect myself in this situation?

[Jason Hirko]

Get an Estoppel Certificate as part of your diligence from the tenant saying there is no lease in place. Problem solved. At that point, I imagine your state has some default lease terms (in Texas, it's basically a 30 day lease). What you don't want to do is have your new tenant show up with a document they claim is their lease for $25 a month for the next 10 years. Then it's their word against the old owner's word and you have a mess on your hands. The estoppel cert solves that.