No--the rental agreement could begin a reasonable amount of time after you move out.  

We lived in a little apartment above the garage and rented out the main portion of the house. 

@John BrennanYour plan sound reasonable.

Her soon to be ex husband was the only reason they could afford the house in the first place and he isn't paying for anything anymore, so I'm trying to help her figure out a way to keep paying her mortgage, or at least reduce her payment to an amount she can afford.Do any of you know of a way to get him on some kind of rental assistance program in the Indianapolis Indiana area?

The only reason we don't qualify for traditional lending is because I took some time off to help my terminally ill father, and my husband has been in a commission-based role for less than a year (the lender said you need 2 years of history for that).

If they meet your criteria, you may not have a valid reason to decline their application.

The phone number for the 'agent' emailing me is the same as the one for the main business.

Which is another reason I'm priced higher.Thanks Staci.  

My dads portion of our building will be gifted to me in the will FYI.As a real estate agent, I see 5% as a reasonable market appreciation.

Some strategies to get around are:1. leverage your current portfolio and buy in cash, increase value, and then refi2. buy Multi-family so your ratios aren't the main factor to lenders3. get in with a lender for high net worth individuals4.