There was a question asked about the type of form that I was using for a particular tenant issue. There are lots of forms out there but I'm going to post the forms that I use and you are more then welcome to use and tailor to your needs.

Here is the application that I use for potential tenants. The application is fairly in depth. I look at past references, job reference and what their boss has to say about them. I also make sure they have enough for the first month, security, and still some in the bank. A potential tenants credit score is not a big concern for me. Lets face it, if they had a steady job and good credit they could buy a home instead of renting.
Rental Application

Here is the tenant lease agreement, which gets into ever aspect of what they can and cannot do. Very in depth.
Tenant lease agreement

I give a receipt for the deposit amount to the tenants for their records. I also give a rent receipt when they pay each months rent.
deposit receipt
Rent Receipt

As stated in the lease agreement, all repairs must be made by the landlord (me). Also tenants must fill out a repair form when there is a repair needed (unless its urgent). The repair form is first filled out by the tenants stating the repair, I then acknowledge the repair, and then we both signing when the repair is completed. Having this form will keep you out of trouble if a tenant is upset with you and decided to break a window them call the housing board to tell them a window has been broken for more then a month and you have not fixed it. If you have then fill a form out every time it will be very difficult for them to do this.
Request for Repairs

A quick reference with tenant’s info such as name, e-mail, phone, and emergency contact is very handy. I also store all of this in my Palm.
Tenant quick info

Delinquency papers:
Abandonment Notice
Fifteen day late notice -Used at the start of eviction process and is sent on the 15th day after non-payment of rent

As far as software or programs are concerned I use www.rentomatic.com and Quicken Property Manager. Rentomatic is a great online resource that allows you to track tents rent, design and post rental ads, and send rent due invoice via e-mail. You can sign up for the premium version, which will allow you to receive online payments, and have an online balance. Quicken Property works great for tracking all expenses and incomes and gives great break downs on how each property is doing.

I will continue to update this list as I use more papers. Keeping a good paper trail is the best way to stay out of court and makes dealing with tenants much easier. If they see you are on your game they are less likely to try and take advantage of you.

Please post comments.

It has been to long since seeing as how I really wanted to post every week. So over the last two months the third floor of house #2 has been vacant. I, along with many good friends have cleaned the apartment top to bottom. I would say that it’s cleaner now than ever. Two of the carpets were steam cleaned and one was replaced.
Two comments regarding the carpets:
1. Don’t rent a rug cleaner from home depot. The ones they rent do not work well and the one I rented leaked tons of water.
2. If you are installing a new carpet in Rhode Island call John the rug guy at 401-480-9943. John does an amazing job at an even better price.
You can check out the video’s of the apartment cleaning’s on YouTube which show just how dirty the apartment was and how clean it became.
It took around 3 weekends and a few weeknights to get the place up and going to the condition I wanted. The apartment was vacant for two months, which was not bad considering it was winter, and there are more rentals then people. I also had to drop my asking price from $650 to $625 which resulted in many more calls and me renting the apartment. The drop in price is not a huge factor for me as I really just wanted to get some well qualified, well behaved tenants, which I think I found. Because of the apartment being vacant I have not installed a new washer and dryer but do have all the hook ups there, which are ready to go. This coming weekend I’m going to purchase a washer and dryer, and get it over with. One big problem with house #2 is the rear parking has a large section that is still dirt and is making a huge mess. With the snow thawing and the rain the driveway area is turning into a mud pit (which I usually won’t mind ;) I’m thinking around $200.00 or $300.00 for the prep and paving of the drive area.
In the next edition I will be changing over the washer and dryer and also showing the updated electrical at Greeley St.
Until then, invest!