Being a Landlord

Everything to do before your first resident moves in — pricing, listing, screening, the lease, insurance, and the mistakes first-time landlords make.

If you only do three things as a new house hacking landlord, do these — the habits that prevent most problems before they start.

Being a landlord and a housemate at the same time — how to set boundaries, stay fair, and avoid the two ways live-in landlords usually get it wrong.

What a landlord owes a resident — repairs, habitability, notice, deposits, and privacy — and where your responsibilities end when you live there too.

The screening process to run every time, the questions that reveal the most, and why saying no to an adequate applicant is usually right.

Georgia court records, screening services, and what each tool actually catches — plus the rule that keeps you consistent and out of trouble.

Photos, headline, and details that get a room rented in days instead of weeks — plus the vague listing habits that generate unqualified inquiries.

The concern nobody says out loud about house hacking — how to screen for it, how to set up your home, and what to do when something feels off.

The Fair Housing Act exemption for small owner-occupied buildings — what it actually covers, the parts that never apply, and why most people overestimate it.

A ten-minute checklist of screening and expectations questions, free to download.

The clauses that matter when you're renting a room in your own home — guests, shared spaces, utilities, and what happens when someone leaves early.

How much to collect, where the money should sit, what a deposit does and doesn't cover, and the documentation that prevents disputes later.

How to handle utilities when you rent out part of your home — included, split, or capped — and why the answer differs by rental type.

Renting out part of your home changes your insurance situation in ways a standard policy may not account for. What to ask your agent before anyone moves in.

Why smart locks solve more problems than any other cheap upgrade in a shared house — codes per resident, no rekeying, and no key handoffs.

What to fix, what to skip, how to price and list — and why week three is when most new house hackers make their worst decision.

The honest answer to the question everyone asks — what daily life is like, what actually causes friction, and what makes it work.

How to set up shared spaces in a house hack so they run smoothly — assigned shelves, a second fridge, and removing ambiguity before it causes friction.

More cars, more trash, and more people coming and going. How to get ahead of neighbor friction before it becomes a complaint.

Why rent comes in late, the setup that prevents it, and how to handle a late payment when you live in the same house as the person who owes you.

Why shared houses wear faster, what tends to fail first, and the vendor list to build before you need it at 9pm on a Sunday.

What the work actually is, the five systems that make it easy, and the point where hiring a property manager starts to make sense.

When a housemate isn't working out — how to address it early, what to document, and how to handle it when you live in the same house.

Evictions are slow, expensive, and worse when you live there. The screening, lease, and early-intervention habits that keep it from getting that far.

When and how to raise rent on someone you live with — how much notice, how to frame it, and why keeping a good resident usually beats the increase.

Start before they leave, run a standard reset, reprice from fresh comps — and the one number that tells you whether you're getting faster.

The move-out walkthrough, what you can fairly deduct, how to itemize, and why returning it quickly matters more than most people realize.