Househack/Landlord newbie, any advice??

[Jose Aguilar]

I am under escrow with this duplex, 2 bd 1 bath each and am taking on this new role as landlord. I am curious to discover any advice anyone has to offer while being a new landlord. Can/Should I use a generic tenant contract from Google or should I hire a lawyer to help me craft one? What resources do I need to effectively screen tenants, how do I run their credit or criminal history? Anything helps, thanks!

[Glen Wiley]

California can be weird. Most states Realtor associations provide a standard residential lease suitable for your state. I recommend starting with that. If you change it you may want to have an attorney look at your changes.

I use zillow or apartments.com to accept applications, both offer services to run credit and do background checks.

For screening you need to set your criteria before you start advertising.

I recommend reading a book on landlording, my favorite is "Landlording on Autopilot".