All Forum Posts by: Francis A.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I followed the suggestion from some of you and asked the applicant if he would be ok with me contacting his commanding officer to learn why such a long lease is needed and see if I might be able to address any concerns. The applicant replied no, and that they are now no longer interested in leasing the home. So I guess that settles that.

Also, the applicant has to run everything through the legal department for the Canadian military. They'd already required that I make a number of small wording changes to the contract I always use prior to springing this four-year lease demand on me.  Makes me feel like I need my own legal team to be sure I'm not being taken advantage of.

Furthermore, this insistence on a four-year lease is a surprise demand out of the blue at the very end of our negotiations just as we are about to sign. The home was advertised as a one-year rental and I had said we would sign a new contract at the end of each year, but now this.

Did some recalculating ... I think they might really be offering me only 10% over current rental market, especially considering the home is so new and I'm getting many calls from people who want to rent it. 

It makes me feel better to hear so many positive replies. I would certainly LOVE a quality long-term tenant. Only real concern is what if I overestimate them and they turn out to not be so quality.

 Actually, they won't allow any changes to the lease.

Interviewing husband and wife applicants to lease our almost new rental home in a new neighborhood in California. He serves in the Canadian military and will be working on a U.S. base nearby for the coming years. Says his commander requires him to find a rental with a lease term of exactly 4 years and 4 months for a set rent amount, that he can break if he's transferred to another base. Will not do a renewable term lease or allow me to make any adjustments to the contract or rent for the entire time. Our rental market is heating up, but they are willing to pay almost 15% above current market rent to lock it in for the duration. They seem nice and passed background and credit checks. But would it be wise for me to sign such a long lease with tenants I don't know in such a nice house that I want to take good care of?