Need Advice on finding and screening tenants for Single-Family House hack
Member since 2023 · 7 posts · 7 votes
Need Advice on finding and screening tenants for Single-Family House hack
Most Popular Reply
Nicholas L.Pro Member
Flipper/Rehabber · Pittsburgh · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votesyou got great responses about screening so i want to respond to something else you posted
"fear is not being able to find good tenants in a reasonable time frame"
homeownership and investing is a very, very long term play and it is absolutely worth it to WAIT for good tenants. i am glad you mentioned this because everyone has different concerns. so here's my advice:
fill immediately with bad tenants to avoid vacancy? nope nope nope
wait a few weeks or whatever to get good tenants and screen properly? yep yep yep
13 Replies
- Lakeland, FL · Member since 2018 · 242 posts · 148 votes2y
Hello Justin,
My wife and I took the plunge two years ago into house hacking and it has been great so far. Not everything has been perfect, as we are always growing, but we created good systems to find and keep good tenants.
The biggest hurdles are:
-Are you located in an area that people will rent by room? - Your demand
-Are you willing to put in the time to come up with photos and descriptions of your place to post online. - Your marketing
-Are you willing to funnel through applicants in a professional manner, doing background checks, etc? - Your intake
-Are you willing to create boundaries and rules for your leases? - Your structure
Once you accept these responsibilities you will be able to better ensure a smooth execution of house hacking.
DM for any more questions or details.
Best,
Brandon
- Member since 2023 · 7 posts · 7 votes2y
Quote from @Brandon P.:
Hello Justin,
My wife and I took the plunge two years ago into house hacking and it has been great so far. Not everything has been perfect, as we are always growing, but we created good systems to find and keep good tenants.
The biggest hurdles are:
-Are you located in an area that people will rent by room? - Your demand
-Are you willing to put in the time to come up with photos and descriptions of your place to post online. - Your marketing
-Are you willing to funnel through applicants in a professional manner, doing background checks, etc? - Your intake
-Are you willing to create boundaries and rules for your leases? - Your structure
Once you accept these responsibilities you will be able to better ensure a smooth execution of house hacking.
DM for any more questions or details.
Best,
Brandon
Yes I live in an a pretty large military town, theres a few universities here and major hospitals. I see listings all the time on Facebook marketplace for rooms to rent, even though they’re not the greatest quality listings. I have a friend who’s a photographer so I’m 100% willing to invest in a solid listing. What I would love to know you would funnel potential tenants and how you would do a background check, also what kind of rules have you set in place for your own house hack? . Thanks in advance
- 2yRyan ThomsonBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
I have had a ton of luck with apartments.com . I list my rooms for rent here and then they put the listing on several of their affiliate sites. I get a couple interested leads a day.
Apartments.com is also where I have tenants fill out a background and credit check, set up automated rent payments, and upload renter's insurance. It's pretty sweet and free for me.
I also like Facebook marketplace and craigslist.
I also have some nice auto messages I use to do the initial "screen" to save my time from the tire kickers and the "is it still available" annoyers.
Here is my first message:
Yes it is! We require a 550+ credit score as well as a current job paystub or a co-signer who meets these requirements. The move in date is December 7th and is a month to month lease at $650/month (not including 50-70 a month for utilities). If all that works for you, when is a good time you can see the house? and what is a good number to reach you?Here is my second message:
I have a couple questions for you to make sure its a good fit for you. Please answer these then we can go from there: What is your Job? Only you? Pets? Move in date? Estimated length of stay? Any questions for me? --
Sometimes my first message (if they seem more serious and put a little effort into their first response):I saw your inquiry for my house at {{address}}. It is still available. Would you like to set up a time to see it? Than I go through those two messages above.
Tips:
1. great photos
2. good description. be clear what you require to cut down on wasting your time.
3. Pre-screen with email or text before you waste your time showing the room
The Assumable Guy544 Reviews - Member since 2023 · 7 posts · 7 votes2yThat was very insightful Ryan. I never thought apartments.com would let you list rooms for rent.
Quote from @Ryan Thomson:
I have had a ton of luck with apartments.com . I list my rooms for rent here and then they put the listing on several of their affiliate sites. I get a couple interested leads a day.
Apartments.com is also where I have tenants fill out a background and credit check, set up automated rent payments, and upload renter's insurance. It's pretty sweet and free for me.
I also like Facebook marketplace and craigslist.
I also have some nice auto messages I use to do the initial "screen" to save my time from the tire kickers and the "is it still available" annoyers.
Here is my first message:
Yes it is! We require a 550+ credit score as well as a current job paystub or a co-signer who meets these requirements. The move in date is December 7th and is a month to month lease at $650/month (not including 50-70 a month for utilities). If all that works for you, when is a good time you can see the house? and what is a good number to reach you?Here is my second message:
I have a couple questions for you to make sure its a good fit for you. Please answer these then we can go from there: What is your Job? Only you? Pets? Move in date? Estimated length of stay? Any questions for me? --
Sometimes my first message (if they seem more serious and put a little effort into their first response):I saw your inquiry for my house at {{address}}. It is still available. Would you like to set up a time to see it? Than I go through those two messages above.
Tips:
1. great photos
2. good description. be clear what you require to cut down on wasting your time.
3. Pre-screen with email or text before you waste your time showing the room
What are some rules or hard no’s that have to allowed you to successfully house hack. I’ve lived with roommates in the past but it was lot more relaxed we didn’t have any major boundaries in place or leases set, which definitely led to problems. How would I keep things professional but not overly authoritarian?
- 2yRyan ThomsonBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
Here are some things to consider:
It's great to live with friends. When it comes to talking about the house rules and rent on time be a landlord. Treat it like a business from the beginning so they will take you seriously. You'll have less drama and be able to enjoy living together as friends.
How to charge rent? - set them up on automatic payments with an online rental property software. I use apartments.com. This allows them to upload proof of renter's insurance and set up automatic rent payments.
Common items to include? - you can include utilities or not. Up to you. I would make tenants pay for them so they are incentivized to cut down on their utility use.
Should I have them sign some kind of paper work or documents outlining the terms? - YES!! Get a lease. When there is something agreed to in writing it reduces the chance of "he said, she said", hurt feelings, misunderstandings, etc. All things that could ruin friendships. Leases, although it feels too formal to do with friends, are really important should their be any disagreements.In Colorado Springs, we use leases for bedrooms with common shared areas (like bathrooms and family rooms).
The Assumable Guy544 Reviews - 2yRyan ThomsonBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
The fact that you are thinking about this says you are probably pretty aware of people. This bodes well for your management of them as tenants. Here are some of my thoughts on the spaces with the biggest potential for "drama".
Kitchen - I house hacked with 4 people in two different houses. We had designated fridge and freezer shelves. Along with one common shelf. It forces people to stay organized.
Chores - we had a cleaning schedule where we would rotate each week what had to be done. Bathrooms, kitchen, sweep/mop, off week. If you didn't do your chores you got a strike and had to do them and buy everyone beer. If you didn't do it twice in a row you had to do everyone's chores the next week.
Bathrooms - we had 1.5-2 bathrooms. That is certainly ideal for 4+ people in a house.
The Assumable Guy544 Reviews - 2yJake AndronicoBusiness MemberRealtor · Reno, NV · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 938 votesGreat question. I've house hacked two single family homes in Reno, NV and have tried 5 different rental platforms.
Quote from @Justin Segarra:
Quote from @Brandon P.:
Hello Justin,
My wife and I took the plunge two years ago into house hacking and it has been great so far. Not everything has been perfect, as we are always growing, but we created good systems to find and keep good tenants.
The biggest hurdles are:
-Are you located in an area that people will rent by room? - Your demand
-Are you willing to put in the time to come up with photos and descriptions of your place to post online. - Your marketing
-Are you willing to funnel through applicants in a professional manner, doing background checks, etc? - Your intake
-Are you willing to create boundaries and rules for your leases? - Your structure
Once you accept these responsibilities you will be able to better ensure a smooth execution of house hacking.
DM for any more questions or details.
Best,
Brandon
Yes I live in an a pretty large military town, theres a few universities here and major hospitals. I see listings all the time on Facebook marketplace for rooms to rent, even though they’re not the greatest quality listings. I have a friend who’s a photographer so I’m 100% willing to invest in a solid listing. What I would love to know you would funnel potential tenants and how you would do a background check, also what kind of rules have you set in place for your own house hack? . Thanks in advance
My favorite by far is Turbotenant.
It runs background checks, credit reports, eviction/criminal reports, template leases, a Docusign-like program to sign lease agreements, rent collection, tax consolidation for EOY tax time, etc.
It's extremely robust and I run both of my rentals with it. Highly recommend the paid version (very worth it).
Best of luck to you!! - Member since 2023 · 7 posts · 7 votes2y
Quote from @Jake Andronico:
Great question. I've house hacked two single family homes in Reno, NV and have tried 5 different rental platforms.Quote from @Justin Segarra:
Quote from @Brandon P.:
Hello Justin,
My wife and I took the plunge two years ago into house hacking and it has been great so far. Not everything has been perfect, as we are always growing, but we created good systems to find and keep good tenants.
The biggest hurdles are:
-Are you located in an area that people will rent by room? - Your demand
-Are you willing to put in the time to come up with photos and descriptions of your place to post online. - Your marketing
-Are you willing to funnel through applicants in a professional manner, doing background checks, etc? - Your intake
-Are you willing to create boundaries and rules for your leases? - Your structure
Once you accept these responsibilities you will be able to better ensure a smooth execution of house hacking.
DM for any more questions or details.
Best,
Brandon
Yes I live in an a pretty large military town, theres a few universities here and major hospitals. I see listings all the time on Facebook marketplace for rooms to rent, even though they’re not the greatest quality listings. I have a friend who’s a photographer so I’m 100% willing to invest in a solid listing. What I would love to know you would funnel potential tenants and how you would do a background check, also what kind of rules have you set in place for your own house hack? . Thanks in advance
My favorite by far is Turbotenant.
It runs background checks, credit reports, eviction/criminal reports, template leases, a Docusign-like program to sign lease agreements, rent collection, tax consolidation for EOY tax time, etc.
It's extremely robust and I run both of my rentals with it. Highly recommend the paid version (very worth it).
Best of luck to you!!Thanks for your help Jake !
- 2yBen RhodinBusiness MemberRealtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2020 · 338 posts · 331 votes
Hey @Justin Segarra! You've already got most of it covered in here. Ill also throw in that there are usually a bunch of Facebook groups specifically for finding roommates. I would search your cities name and "roommates" or "creative housing". Here in Denver I think we have 3-4 groups that have numerous posts a day.
- 2yNicholas L.Pro MemberFlipper/Rehabber · Pittsburgh · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
you got great responses about screening so i want to respond to something else you posted
"fear is not being able to find good tenants in a reasonable time frame"
homeownership and investing is a very, very long term play and it is absolutely worth it to WAIT for good tenants. i am glad you mentioned this because everyone has different concerns. so here's my advice:
fill immediately with bad tenants to avoid vacancy? nope nope nope
wait a few weeks or whatever to get good tenants and screen properly? yep yep yep
- Homeowner · NC · Member since 2024 · 15 posts · 19 votes2y
Hi, @Justin Segarra. I have found Turbo Tenant to be a good platform for screening tenants and the entire applicant process.
- Member since 2023 · 7 posts · 7 votes2y
Quote from @Ben Rhodin:
Hey @Justin Segarra! You've already got most of it covered in here. Ill also throw in that there are usually a bunch of Facebook groups specifically for finding roommates. I would search your cities name and "roommates" or "creative housing". Here in Denver I think we have 3-4 groups that have numerous posts a day
I will definitely look into that, Thanks Ben!
- Member since 2023 · 7 posts · 7 votes2y
Quote from @Nicholas L.:
you got great responses about screening so i want to respond to something else you posted
"fear is not being able to find good tenants in a reasonable time frame"
homeownership and investing is a very, very long term play and it is absolutely worth it to WAIT for good tenants. i am glad you mentioned this because everyone has different concerns. so here's my advice:
fill immediately with bad tenants to avoid vacancy? nope nope nope
wait a few weeks or whatever to get good tenants and screen properly? yep yep ye
Thanks for the advice! Yeah I tend to be a bit impatient but this is something I'll have to take my time with.
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