Hello--
I only own one rental property, but also live on the other side of the duplex, so those are my special circumstances that may not apply to you. I've been a landlord for three years.
Smoking: I have not ever put a "no smoking" policy in my lease, but I have decided I am going to do that in the future. I haven't had any issues, as none of the tenants I have so far have smoked in the house, but I know the smoke can stain walls and ceilings.
Pets: Not only do I allow pets, but I also allow multiple and/or large dogs. I have made this a bit of a "niche" for myself and charge higher rent for this class of tenants who have a harder time finding a place. I do not allow puppies or dog breeds that would void my home insurance...those are the only exceptions. However, with all that said, I have a LARGE fully fenced in backyard and there are no carpets in the unit (laminate wood flooring and tiles). I do charge a pet security deposit, but it is refundable just like the normal security deposit if there are no damages.
Credit: I have not checked credit in the past and, although it has never been a problem, I think this is a poor idea and will do that in the future.
Felons: This would depend on what/how long ago the felony was.
Age: Just have to be 18.
First time renters: I would require a co-signer or a larger deposit, but this has not come up for me yet.
Previous evictions: Possibly if the eviction had been a long time in the past and there was a good explanation for it. Like at least 5 years.
Rent Collection: My tenants pay me with a personal check. Some have paid with a money order or cash instead, but that was their choice...not something I've required.
Lawn Care: I take care of it, but then I live on the property also.
Maintenance issues: Same.
Late Fees: I have toyed with two ideas. A previous tenant, I actually gave them a rental discount of $25 if they paid early...even if it was just by one day. They always did ;). With my current tenant, and all my previous tenants, they have a 5-day grace period and after that it is $25 for every five days they are late. However, I've been fortunate and none of my tenants have ever been more than 5 days late. If they were good tenants and something unusual came up...I'd potentially be willing to limit the late charges, but would charge at least that first $25.
Breaking a lease: I've never had this happen, but this is something else I am going to put in my next lease. I haven't totally formulated what the consequences will be, but I'm leaning towards complete forfeiture of the security deposit PLUS they would be responsible for any repairs and/or rent exceeding that until the place is rented by a new tenant.
Using security deposit for repairs: Most definitely! Though, again I've been fortunate. I've always returned my security deposits in full because there have been no damages. One tenant did leave the place a bit dirtier than I would have liked and I've always regretted not charging a little something for that. But I didn't at the time.
Two caveats. Where I live, it is actually fairly quick and easy to have a tenant evicted for non-payment of rent. Though I certainly hope to never have to do it! But, as such, I will admit to being a little more lax than I probably should be about credit. It is also very easy for me to rent my unit. It typically only takes me about two weeks to find a tenant and, oddly enough, the time of year or time of month don't really matter that much. Heck, I had to rent the place in the middle of December once and still had plenty of applications. But again that makes me a little more "forgiving" of the potential of breaking a lease than other landlords might be.
