House Hack Rental Agreement

[Tiffany S.]

I brought my personal home in July of this year. There are 4 bedrooms. I have a room and my 2 kids have their own room. I rent out the extra room on the other side of the house. There is also a den/play area that I am considering making into a room to rent out due to my 6yo going to live with is dad for a while (all it would need is a door and some free standing closet space maybe). 

So my question is, do you all make your renters sign a rental lease when house hacking? Do you require background checks? Does anyone have an example rental agreement I could use? My current renter came from Craigslist. Didnt do any type of verification. She's been pretty cool, but I do not want to chance it again. 

[Hongbing K.]

Hello Tiffany.

When I lived in my 3 bedroom 2 bath condo, I rented out 2 of the rooms. I drafted up a lease like any other lease.

In the lease I ensure that everything is clearly stated like how bills will be paid/divided, house rules, etc. I did do any background check. I didn't do a check because Im1 renter is my friend and the other I didn't have the time or wasn't too concerned. However, I suggest you take the extra time to do the check. You never know.