Originally Posted by _CY_

been leasing houses for 20+ years in USA. laws are different but principles are the same.

for instance it's much better to find tenants that are not helpless. state up front you are looking for tenants that are able to fix minor issues like leaking faucets, etc. in return lease house for a bit less than market value.

write it into the lease that tenant is responsible for the first $75 of every repair. major repairs will costs you no matter what. most can be taken care of before you leave. drawback is tenant gets lazy and maintenance gets deferred until you get back. leasing at below market value means tenant are more likely to stay long term.

think about this... if house goes empty, not only are you paying to put house back into lease-able condition. you are losing rents while it's being repaired. then add down time until a suitable tenant is found. average downtime could be 1-3 months rents lost forever. makes giving a good tenant a break in rents look down right cheap.

besides not losing any rents from being empty... another huge advantage of receiving a 90 day paid notice. one is able to show the house before current tenant moves out. an occupied house if it's not torn up will almost always show better and be easier to lease. another tactic is to have new tenant take house in "AS IS" or with a limit list for you to take care of. keeping in mind that you are leasing house for market rates, so you are expecting a few things in return. New tenant will LOVE it, because house is offered at below market rates.

be very careful at only offering above to a quality tenant that you have thoroughly checked references on.

all my leases contain a requirement that tenant give a 90 day paid notice before moving. otherwise lease will auto renew under same terms and conditions. this takes the work out of renewing leases. since house is being leased at below market value. highly likely they will stay anyways.

only use lease forms that an attorney specializing in real estate has given blessings to. feel free to PM if you have questions that need to be off line.