rental management companies often post their lease online so you can see how they do it. one good clause I learned to put in the hard way is that if someone sues me and loses I am entitled to compensation of reasonable legal fees. i also did an application requiring their social security number, phone number(s), and previous addresses so I could do a nationwide background check looking for previous evictions and prior convictions. video the premises with a witness prior to move-in. create a detailed 'punch list' listing everything in each room for them to sign as 'ok' or 'not ok' to have a written record of move-in condition. my lease allowed me entry each month to change the filters, which is a good practice plus I got to see inside.
when i started in 1978 my lease was one page long. one year ago my last lease was 18 pages so there's a lot to cover.
the key is always the tenant. if you get a good one your life is golden. if you get a bad tenant your life can turn brown and smelly.
good luck!
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