Renting out rooms to students
I am an empty nester with a beautiful 5 bedroom home in Hercules. I've never rented before, but would like to rent to students from UC Berkeley, Contra Costa College and Diablo Valley Colleges. My worst nightmare is getting a problem tenant that I can't get to leave. Seems like tenants have more rights than homeowners. Are there any resources out there that can guide me? Help me get tenants, create a rental agreement, determine the correct rent etc. Any insight into this area appreciated.
Oct 5, 2020
Parent Replies
Have a formal application that explicitly lists if they have pets. There are some FEHA/ADA tricks renters use that they hide they have a dog until the last minute then drop a “support animal” Medical Letter. I’m a dog lover who recently had to put their chihuahua down after their roommates pit bull attacked it. Also research them online to find pics of them and their animals first. Trust your gut on the people. There seems to be a lot of renters out there from the bigger cities who know how to work the medical excuse system.
California has a law that protects an owner who rents to one lodger. The owner has many more rights in terms of selection and removal than in a traditional landlord-tenant relationship. You may want to begin with the local junior college, as there are few U.C. students this semester, and many, many vacancies closer to campus. Also check out the Nolo landlord book, and use their forms for a rental agreement.