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If I can't sell my house this spring I want to rent it out. I would rather have it vacant 50% of the time and lease it for 3 or 6 months or month-to-month to great short-term tenants than 12 months to bums.
Does anyone do this? I thought people moving to town and needing a place for a few months while they find a house to buy would be a better risk than the typical renter.
I like short-term or month-month leases. I tend to move around a lot. I'm pretty responsible, but I'm not going to clean the place when I leave. Moving my junk around is hard enough and I don't want to argue with you about whether I did a "good enough" job cleaning.
At the same time, I won't quibble if you pay a service to clean it using part of my deposit. Just make sure you include the receipt for the amount that you deducted from the deposit.
I vote you go month-month, but let your tenants know ahead of time if you plan to ask them to leave within 3-6 months, and ask them how long they plan to stay. I'm on a month-month now, but I need(ed) to stay for about 9 months. If the landlord asked me to leave 3 months in, I'd be annoyed. (Not that there's much I could do about it.)
Short term renters TEND TO be worse than long-term, because they go from being ultra awesome and cleaning everything, to sponger, then to the people that just trash the place and move on.
For your situation though, its what you'll want.
Ideally, if you know which dates you want the unit, sign the lease up to that point, and then after that point, sign another lease.
Consistent, solid renters is every landlord's wet dream. Short-term people like this are harder to find.
also depends on what state you are in..in Fl if it's less than 6 months you must also collect a bed tax. We always do 1 year.....less wear and tear on the property from moving in and out.
I'd keep the place vacant if you plan to sell. You'll have cigarette smell to repaint every wall, replace every carpet, your yard will be ruined, appliances abused... Be patient and sell it outright. No short-term tenant will have long-term concern for your property. But, if you must, contact schools or business locator services for teachers or temporary executives looking to relocate in your area and eventually buy.
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