Rental Forms, Tenant Screening, Online Payments + Utilities, etc.

[Eli N.]

Howdy to all the BP folks from Austin, TX! 

I have a few questions related to Rental Forms, Tenant Screening, Automatic Online Payments (site recommendations and setup), Utility payments, so here they are:

1) Can someone point me to where I can download a Texas rental pdf contract to Condo/Apartment/Town-House, that I can also send to a new tenant to complete and sign?  It would be great if all can be completed online with signatures (as it will save a lot of time, as well as paper).  I am hoping the lease will allow me to tweak it a little (example: allowing/disallowing pets, specifying how early in advance to vacate, early termination penalty fees, adding parents as backers to the lease, etc).  

2) What's the best way/website to screen tenants (and specifically students and younger adults) and how can I add another individual (parent probably) to the lease to guarantee timely payments?  Is there a preferred/trusted site where I can run credit-history/criminal-background/employment-verification checks without paying too much?  Are there any other checks I need to account for (not sure if bank-balance is also attainable).

3) How can I setup automatic payments (automatic bank-draft) between the tenant and landlord with reduced fees (as it saves time dealing and cashing checks).  And how much $ deposit do you recommend before move-in?

4) How are utilities (gas, electricity, sewage, water, garbage, energy, etc) handled between tenant turn-over? (Who collects bills?) And do you have to switch them back to your name and then to the new tenant, do you keep them in the first tenant's until the new tenant signs the new new lease, or is there a third option (assuming most of which are not covered through HOA)?

5) Are there any recommendations as to where to post the Condo/Apartment rental property online (besides realtor.com to avoid losing the first rent on realtor fees) - not sure?

6) Any tips you recommend to watch out for (based on your personal experience) and/or are there areas to always consider/account for before a tenant gets a hold of condo/apartment keys?

Thank you all very much and in-advance,
Eli

[Jennifer L.]

@Eli N.  The last time I rented, I had the applicants bring their credit reports and documentation to prove employment, bank balances and income. I didn't charge an application fee.  The tenants I chose both had credit scores over 800, verifiable employment, and glowing reviews from their former landlords.   I didn't do a background check on them, but have absolutely no concerns. 

When it was time to sign the lease, my tenants asked for an automatic payment option. I had checked with my credit union and they didn't have a way to do it. I told my tenants that I would look into it. That is when I found Cozy. 

Now that I have been collecting rent through Cozy, I'm even more impressed with what the website can do when it is time to find new tenants. I will have my potential tenants apply through Cozy and pay for their own credit and background checks through them.  I'm not sure what the turn around is on getting the reports, but I'm guessing it is fast.   I'm simply not interested in collecting money for application fees.