Landlording Kit(s)

[Carole M.]

Several years ago I purchased a "Landlording Kit" by Socrates.com from an office supply store. This Forms Kit came with a User Manual with 21 forms and a CD with other forms. This was invaluable and I used many of the forms, including Pet Agreement, Rental Credit Application, Security Deposit Receipt, Tenant Information Sheet, Lead Paint Disclosure, Garage/Parking Space Lease Agreement etc. An Illinois approved Residental Lease was included, but many municipalities, including City of Chicago require their own approved lease form, so checking with your local municipality is important. These kits/forms are also available Online and are listed by state.

Any and all suggestions that others have for new landlords, would be greatly appreciated.

[Account Closed]

At least in Texas if you're a Realtor you have access to something called zip forms. It has all the promulgated fill-in-the-blank landlord-ing forms you can think of. E.g. Residential Lease, application, hold & deposit, pet agreement, notice terminating right of occupancy, etc. If you're not a Realtor you can join an association called TAA (Texas Apartment Association) and they also have their versions of the same type of forms that you can buy or make copies of. They also sell something called "The Redbook" that is an invaluable resource detailing the landlord/tenant laws referencing the Texas Property Code, which also comes in handy for knowing your rights for evictions and such. Of course, that's only for Texas though...