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Updated about 1 year ago on . Most recent reply

Tips for first time landlord in Buffalo
Hello, I'm closing on my first investment property in about a month. It's located in Buffalo in the Five Points area. I live out of state (out of country, actually), and have never lived/rented/landlorded in the US. I know a lot about standard practices where I live, but am wondering if all those things are transferrable. For example, is it standard to ask for first and last month's rent upfront? Do you usually ask tenants to sign a one year lease and then shift to month to month? Is there a standard lease template? I'm surprised at how few local resources there are for landlords or that they aren't easy to find. I've been trying to get up to speed on tenants rights in New York, which can help understand what is expected of the landlord, but would appreciate some content geared to landlords.
Most Popular Reply

Thanks everyone. I'm hearing your warnings about getting into self-managing without lots of local knowledge and experience and am taking into consideration. @Matthew Irish-jones - I don't think I can be in violation of local laws just yet, given that the property hasn't even closed and I haven't advertised the vacancies. So far just finalizing the purchase process and I believe I've adhered to all of the requirements thus far. I am working with your firm - Lizz is my agent and has guided me well so far. I can see that Lizz has included a leasing fee in the property analysis docs she provided, which I assume reflects the lease only service you mention. I will ask her more about that and consider it.
@Timothy Smith - I'll be in touch.
Apologies for being slow to get back here, somehow I was not being notified of new replies.