How do I lease out my home?
How do I list my home for rent?

If you are asking these questions and you are a landlord (or a potential one) interested in leasing your home, the first question is usually "where do I start?" You might be tempted to advertise the home yourself using the newspaper, Craigslist, or other means, but how will you know if you are pricing the home correctly to net you the highest rent? How will you find highly qualified applicants? How will you screen them (credit check and references)? Will you be protected legally by using the correct forms and contracts? If these are legitimate concerns, then the answer is to use a licensed Realtor to list your home for lease, to assist you in finding a qualified tenant, and to utilize all of the California Association of Realtors contracts and disclosures to protect you legally. I am a home leasing specialist so let me help you with your home.

My five goals as your lease listing agent:

Price the home accurately to attract highly qualified applicants and net you the highest monthly rent.

Market the home using the widest exposure including the Internet (MLS), advertising, and agent networking

Locate and screen highly qualified applicants using high-tech screening tools, and do it in the shortest amount of time possible

Protect you as a landlord by using California approved contracts, disclosures, and lease agreement

Add value by referring you to property managers, home warranty, insurance products, repair people, and more

Why should you use Ron Denhaan & Associates of Realty One Group West to lease your home?

Experience

I am one of the top leasing agents in my office. I have the experience and know-how to handle your transaction. I have many happy Landlord clients over the years. Ask me for a list of references.

Marketing

Using the Internet (MLS), advertising, networking, monthly Newsletter, and other marketing methods, I give your home the highest possible exposure to prospective tenants.

Attract qualified tenants

I have a steady supply of potential tenants who find homes for lease through my web site and other marketing tools. I match these daily contacts to my listings.

Thorough screening of potential tenants

I review an applicant's credit, references, income, and employment before presenting them to you. .I use a top screening tool to look for previous evictions, criminal background information, employment status, and reserves in the bank. I also regularly call previous Landlords for references.

High quality photos of your listing

Take a look at a typical listing and it will become readily apparent that many real estate agents skimp on photos for leases. Your listing deserves better! I use only professional photography for your home resulting in 20 or more high-quality, vibrant photos. These are then posted on the MLS to help drive tenants to the listing. Here is a portfolio of some of my listing photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ SECTION

Call me. 949-290-3263. I will walk you through the steps and help you with the whole process, as outlined below.

Yes, I certainly do!
I have successfully helped many landlords all over Orange County.
Happy to provide these to you!

Yes, this is one of my first steps. See pricing below.

I will do this by using MLS comparables
I will run recent "comps" for similar homes in your neighborhood that will help us determine the right monthly rent price range. I'll e-mail the comps to you so that we can review the current market rates and decide on a monthly rent range that works for you.

Yes, absolutely.
My philosophy is that tenants with good credit will make better tenants for your home. A tenant with good credit will want to preserve their credit rating by making timely rent payments. It does take longer to find a qualified tenant with good credit, but in the end, I feel it is worth the wait!

I use a tenant screening service (Rentspree.com) that runs a credit check, eviction check, and criminal background check. Each potential tenant 18 years or older, pays a fee for the screening. If the tenant is acceptable, I will also request further documentation to prove income, job history, cash reserves, rental history, and credit worthiness.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of California citizens to lose their jobs, businesses, and even their homes. Many lives have been disrupted and in this environment, it is more important than ever to run a thorough background check on all potential tenants 18-years-old, or older. I require all potential tenants to apply through a screening tool that costs $30 per person - No exceptions. In addition, each candidate will be required to provide a 3-agency full credit report (Transunion, Equifax, and Experian). job history, recent bank statements, information on reserves in the bank, and prior rental information. Having had rentals myself, I am aware of many "red flags" when I see them. You have a huge asset in your home so my goal is to do everything I can to protect your investment.

No! You have the right to accept or reject a potential tenant based on credit worthiness and your opinion of their ability to pay rent. You have the right to review an applicant's credit, income, and employment history, and you may reject an applicant if their credit worthiness falls below your comfort level.
However, you may not reject an applicant based on race, religion, or marital status!

As the Landlord, you may specify your preferences for allowing pets, water-filled furniture, or smoking. You have the option of allowing pets and you may charge an extra deposit for each pet.

Yes, this is typically done by specifying "submit on pets". This means the final decision is yours as to what pets you will accept from a tenant. You can specify only cats, only small pets (under a certain weight), only one allowed, or extra deposit required with second pet. You can also disallow certain breeds if you feel they could be a liability. You are in no way required to allow any pet, so you do have full discretion on this.
Note: Please be aware that there are now potential tenants who may have a doctor authorized ESA (Emotional Support Animal) or Assistance Dog certificate. You may be obligated (by law) to allow this dog, even if you prefer no pets! The tenant is still responsible for any damage by this pet.

Yes, I use all of the above, but the final decision on any of these is yours.

The tenant pays the first month's rent and all security deposits (including pet, key deposit, etc) prior to taking possession of the house. This is typically paid with a cashier's check.

In California, the maximum security deposit allowed is two times the monthly rental amount for an unfurnished home, or three times the monthly rental amount for a furnished property. However, it is more common to ask for a security deposit that is closer to the monthly rental amount (e.g., rent $2200/mo, security deposit $2500). Asking for a very high security deposit might discourage many potential tenants.

Either is fine, with unfurnished being far more common. A furnished lease usually commands a higher security deposit, and this is expected by tenants. Also, many tenants seeking furnished leases, usually do so for shorter terms (e.g.,, 3 months, 6 months, etc) because they are renting the home while they are working on a remodel of their home, moving in from out of state while waiting to buy, etc.

Yes! As the homeowner, you have the final say in selecting your potential tenant, based on credit worthiness. However, I will screen out certain tenants if you have a credit threshold for example. This way, you won't have to waste your time reviewing unqualified applicants. All others however are passed on to you for review.

Having a pool is very attractive and will add value to your rental. First, I will always add the CAR disclosure for "pool and spa" to your disclosures and have the tenants sign it. Pool safety is very important so in many cases you'll want to add a pool fence all around the pool. Also, safety alarms on all doors leading to the pool are required by law. All outside gates leading to the back yard must have locks on them. Also, probably a good idea to speak with your insurance company about adding extra liability insurance. While having a pool is a great addition to your home, please do take the safety measures needed to ensure a safe environment for your tenants.

No..My job is to find a qualified tenant for you. I can refer you to a property manager if you would prefer to have one to help manage your property.

Commissions are negotiable. Please contact me to discuss.

No. Just a one-time fee, which is usually a percentage of the first year's rent. Your relationship with your tenant is 100% your business after that.

Usually within three days. I typically send you a listing agreement via e-mail. Once this is signed, I can take photos, put up a sign, and have your home listed on the MLS!

Yes, there are a number of disclosures that I use for every lease. Technically they are not required (you could always rent out your home on your own without them). However, it is wise to include them, as they may help to protect you from liability. Having tenants sign all of the disclosures will show that you (the landlord) properly informed the tenant of certain conditions and that you have installed all of the mandatory safety devices in your rental property (e.g, water heater strapping, smoke, and CO2 detectors).

I generally advise against doing an initial contract longer than one year. This is because you may want to keep your options open each year for rent increases. or you may want to sell your home if the market turns decidedly positive. I think it is also a good idea to use the first year as a trail period with your tenant to see if the two of you have a positive relationship. The worst-case scenario might be to find yourself in a long-term contract with a very bad tenant! You can always agree to sign a second-year agreement if you do have a great tenant.

Yes. This is done using a one page form where you can extend the leasing dates, change the rental amount, or modify any other terms of the lease.

Yes, you certainly can, through the use of separate MLS listings. This way you have the option of taking the deal that comes first. It is also a good way to hedge the market by offering either a higher sales price or rental price.

Yes, you always have the right to sell your home and most standard contracts do spell out terms for the tenant for showing the home and cooperating with the sale. However, you must also honor the remainder of your contract with your tenant. If the tenant is hesitant to cooperate, you can offer the home to investors as already rented, or you can offer attractive terms to your tenant to move out early, such as forgiving the last month's rent or to assist with moving costs.

I typically include a form at the beginning of each lease, which asks the tenant to agree to cooperate with showings after they have given 30 (or 60) days' notice to terminate. This document also covers use of a lockbox and yard sign. I can re-list your home as soon as you receive notice of termination.

I accommodate both! Licensed real estate agents will be able to show your home to their clients by appointment. They will be able to access the home using a special Realtor-only lock box. Many other potential clients will find the home through various websites and will contact me directly. .I will typically have a weekend day for showing the home to these potential tenants.

Usually yes.
Once we have several highly qualified applicants, there is little point in continuing to show the home, so I usually place the home on "Hold" status. This is much more fair to those who have already applied.

How do I lease out my home? How do I list my home for rent?