Moving out from apartment and renting house for first time (Plano: rental market, HOA)

[rztquery]

Hello,

I am planning to have bigger space and planning to rent in Plano/Frisco area.

So far i lived in apartment and this is the first time i am planning to rent house

I have these questions. Please answer.

1. What are my responsibilities apart from paying rent?
2. Do i need to buy fridge , dish washer, microwave, lawn mower etc.
3. Who will take care of changing air filters , minor repairs etc?? Owner or me?
4. Do i need to pay HOA?
5. What is the best way to find a house for rent? Zillow, realtor or renting agency?

[WorldKlas]

1. Every rental house has its own set of rules. When you view a property, ask this questions. In general, you will be responsible for paying utilites and you will need to mow the lawn and keep the landscaping trimmed. Typically, you will be expected to change the furnace filters. Often the landlord will service the pool, if there is a pool on the property.

2. Usually the built in appliances and stove are included. If the microwave is also the range hood, its usually included. Some houses include the refrigerator and washer and dryer, but many do not.

3. My tenants take care of changing HVAC filters (I provide them). “Minor repairs” is difficult to define. If something is broken, I want to know about it and I want to fix it. Some landlords require tenants to pay for anything up to $75-100. I don’t do this because I fear things will be neglected/not reported/ignored and become worse. Each landlord is different. This must be discussed when you view the house.

4. No, you should never pay the HOA fee.

5. Many private landlords us Zillow beause we are able to post ads for free. I never cooperate with Realtors — who expect me to pay them commission —because the DFW rental market has more applicants than good properties for a reasonable rent, so I don’t value realtors’ candidates over those I can attain independenly. If I were overcharging for the rent, I’d use a realtor.

[kyam11]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

1. Every rental house has its own set of rules. When you view a property, ask this questions. In general, you will be responsible for paying utilites and you will need to mow the lawn and keep the landscaping trimmed. Typically, you will be expected to change the furnace filters. Often the landlord will service the pool, if there is a pool on the property.

2. Usually the built in appliances and stove are included. If the microwave is also the range hood, its usually included. Some houses include the refrigerator and washer and dryer, but many do not.

3. My tenants take care of changing HVAC filters (I provide them). “Minor repairs” is difficult to define. If something is broken, I want to know about it and I want to fix it. Some landlords require tenants to pay for anything up to $75-100. I don’t do this because I fear things will be neglected/not reported/ignored and become worse. Each landlord is different. This must be discussed when you view the house.

4. No, you should never pay the HOA fee.

5. Many private landlords us Zillow beause we are able to post ads for free. I never cooperate with Realtors — who expect me to pay them commission —because the DFW rental market has more applicants than good properties for a reasonable rent, so I don’t value realtors’ candidates over those I can attain independenly. If I were overcharging for the rent, I’d use a realtor.

Read this OP (Meaning the post I quoted)

[Rakin]

Use Realtor.com or zillow and contact the listing agent directly. Worldklas may not use an RE agent to list his homes but many do. There is a standard Application we use, go ahead and fill one out just leave off the address. The Agent or owner will write the lease.

I now encourage all landlords to pay to have the yard taken care of then just figure it in the rent. If you leave it for the tenant, it usually is neglected very badly.

[WorldKlas]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Use Realtor.com or zillow and contact the listing agent directly. Worldklas may not use an RE agent to list his homes but many do. There is a standard Application we use, go ahead and fill one out just leave off the address. The Agent or owner will write the lease.

I now encourage all landlords to pay to have the yard taken care of then just figure it in the rent. If you leave it for the tenant, it usually is neglected very badly.

My leases say the Landlord has option to engage a lawn service and upcharge rent up to $100/mo to cover upon 3rd notice that the landscape is not being properly maintained.