Have made the decision to partner up and already have 3-4 potential candidates I communicate with on a regular basis. 

. - Have the funds lent to you, secured by your primary residence as a private mortgage, and it's no longer a gift.

You can usually get this done with a copy of a signed lease and  the security deposit check. 

Just do your regular screening on him. 2.

See, generally, predatory lending, securities fraud, "company towns" (especially up in your neck of the woods), and environmental regulations.This, on the other hand, is government looking for a problem (mostly because a council member  got postcards and letters.

I currently rent, and dont have any real estate experience or training, but I have read a couple of books on it, and am a regular reader of the BP articles.

I work a safe, secure, well paying, dead end job.

@Pandu Chimata ,The gain on the sale of the property is not taxed until your 2018 taxes are due in 2019, but if you made a significant profit, you might want to ensure that your W-2 withholding, if you have a regular job, is enough to cover the extra taxes you owe on the profit or make estimated payments so that you dont pay any penalties for underpayment of taxes you owe when you file your taxes 2019. 

Should I get a contract or security deposit?

Think of all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.