Homesharing..City of Falls Church, VA (Arlington: apartment, lease, credit check)

[blueidgirl53]

I'm considering sharing my house in Falls Church City. I'm 56-year old, divorced working female. I'm looking for any suggestions on how to go about doing this.

[terrence81]

Very simple. Just put up an ad on craigslist. Now I couldn't tell you how to come up with a lease or anything like that. What my landlord does is he has everything on a simple month to month basis. In Virginia no actual lease is neccesary if its month to month.

[weezycom]

I agree with craigslist. Also, in the ad be specific as to how you expect utilities to be split, amount of rent paid, and absolutes (no smoking, no pets, must love pets, no alcohol, or whatever it is that is absolute for you). If you have a friend/acquaintance who is a Realtor, have them run a credit check on the folks who are strong possibilities to make sure the info they have given you is accurate.

[kweaverre]

I would agree Craigslist is the most popular option for advertising. Suggestions to you as a new landlord, conduct credit and background checks on potential renters, ask for 3 references, and make sure you require a security deposit. Good luck!

[Yankeesfan]

You may also find some "niche" advertising opportunities. For example the Arlington Catholic Herald sometimes runs classified ads like this. And some large employers might have bulletin boards, either the traditional type or cyber versions. I know a young woman who had just graduated from college and was going to work for a large employer and found another newly-hired recent graduate through the employer's website; now they share an apartment and commute together. Just be careful not to share too much information that would be accessible to strangers (like not listing your specific address publicly).