- FYI: it's only illegal to try to rent it out, the property owner can usually legally live in a nonconforming basement unit.If you do all this you may still negatively cashflow each month, so make sure your income can cover and/or your cash reserves.If you do this successfully, you will learn more in 1-2 years than you would reading here on BP for 5+ years:)Good luck:)

While I’m not an expert on the legal aspects of posting here, I do have years of experience coaching students in real estate sales and investing.For anyone getting started in real estate, I always emphasize the importance of focusing on key steps before committing to a deal.

I don't want them coming after me legally if I sell.

Quote from @Brandon Larson: Yea, @Nathan Gesner is that legal to enroll someone in an insurance policy and then charge them for it?

And you can't legally dictate how much they carry for personal belongings. 

The fact that you think the tenant is a pain has nothing to do with how you maintain the property, you could be creating legal and maintenance problems for yourself by not taking action. 

Legal violations and penalities(fines) even if you have accounting software to track the difference. 

As long as they pull the proper permits and are licensed contractors (if required in your state), they can legally work on the property.

If they had not moved out, i would have brought in the best attorney available and charged the tenant for the legal costs.  

If that doesn’t work, you may need to seek legal advice or reach out on social media for more visibility.