If you are about to move into a new house and want to rent your old house out, you will need to hire a general practice attorney for help. Renting out a house makes you a landlord, and if you've never been a landlord before you will need to know how to protect yourself in this situation. Here are three things an attorney can help you with as you prepare to rent out your house.

Complete legalities

One of the first things your attorney will do is check with the Department of Housing in your city to determine if you need a permit or license to do this. Failing to complete the necessary legalities could cause you to end up with legal problems, and that is why this is the first step needed.

In some cases, there will be nothing you have to do in order to legally rent out your house. In other cases, it might require filling out an application and paying a fee. You can assume that your attorney will make sure this is done properly, and that is one of the reasons you should hire an attorney to do this.

Create a lease

Creating a lease is one of the most difficult, yet important, duties of renting out a house. The lease will contain the rules, guidelines, and obligations of the tenant, and your lease should be thorough, clear, and complete. The lease should contain the following details:

• The rental period – When the lease starts and ends and whether it automatically renews at the end.
• The charges – Not only should you include the monthly rental amount, but the lease should also clearly state all other financial obligations of the tenant. This could include utilities, taxes, and insurance.
• Rules – While no one likes a list of rules, this is the only way to protect yourself and your house. Make sure the list of rules contains every detail that is important to you. This can include pets, use of property, maintenance of property, noise, overnight guests, and subletting rules.

After the lease is complete, you can start looking for a tenant.

Conduct background checks

While you may be eager to rent your house to the first person that inquires about it, this is not always the best route to take. Having a good tenant in your house is one of the most important factors in success, and it may take time to find a good tenant. Your attorney may be able to help you through this by running background checks, or by recommending what company to use for this.

You may want to avoid renting to anyone with bad credit or with a criminal record, and instead look for someone with steady income, good credit, and a clear background.

Taking these steps may help you prevent problems from arising when renting your house, and you can learn more by contacting a general practice attorney like Herbert Law Firm LLC.

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