Rental Checklist: How to Rent Out Your Home, Step by Step

Quick answer

The seven stages of renting out a home, in the order most landlords do them:

Prepare your home for rent — Clean, fix, photograph, and write the listing before anyone sees it.
Market your home — Get the listing in front of every renter who is looking, not just one site.
Screen tenants — References, credit, and background on every adult applicant, the same way for everyone.
Sign a lease — Agree the terms in writing and collect the deposit and first month before keys.
Hand over the keys — Document the home's condition together on day one.
Manage the property — Collect rent, answer requests fast, and inspect once a year.
End the lease — Walk through with your move-in record, return the deposit, settle anything open.

A suggestionThis is a suggested checklist, not something you have to follow. Skip anything that does not fit your home or your situation. Nothing here is required to list, show, or lease. Tick boxes as you go; this page remembers them on this device.

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Prepare your home for rent

Clean, fix, photograph, and write the listing before anyone sees it.

Clean and declutterFirst impressions set the rent. A deep clean and clear surfaces make every showing, and every photo, work harder.
Make repairs and updatesFix the small stuff before tenants find it: leaky faucets, scuffed paint, tired fixtures. Small updates, better applicants, higher rent.
Take high-quality photosListings with bright, sharp photos rent faster. Shoot in daylight, every room, wide and level.
Create a listingTurn your details and photos into a listing that stands out: rent, deposit, move-in date, lease term, pets, utilities.

Market your home

Get the listing in front of every renter who is looking, not just one site.

List on Zillow and TruliaZillow and Trulia are weak for selling a home but not bad for renting one. List there, and put the listing in the MLS through ShopProp so it reaches every brokerage site too.
Advertise online and in local publicationsLocal groups, neighborhood boards, and community papers still fill rentals. The widest net brings the best applicants.
Host an open houseOne well-run open house can produce multiple applications in a single afternoon.

Screen tenants

References, credit, and background on every adult applicant, the same way for everyone.

Check referencesCall previous landlords and employers. Ten minutes on the phone now saves months of headaches later.
Run credit and background checksVerify every adult applicant with a trusted screening service.Run credit & background checks →
Select the best tenantWeigh income, history, references, and fit, applying the same standards to every applicant, fair-housing compliant.

Sign a lease

Agree the terms in writing and collect the deposit and first month before keys.

Negotiate termsRent, deposit, term length, pets, utilities. Get every agreement in writing before anyone signs.
Collect security deposit and first month's rentCollect both before handing over keys. Use traceable payment, and never follow wire instructions sent by email.

Hand over the keys

Document the home's condition together on day one.

Conduct a move-in walkthroughWalk the home together and document its condition with photos. That record is your deposit protection at move-out.
Answer any questionsUtilities, appliances, trash day, quirks. A welcome sheet answers questions before they become calls.

Manage the property

Collect rent, answer requests fast, and inspect once a year.

Collect rent on timeConsistent, traceable rent collection. Set the standard the first month.
Respond to tenant requestsFast responses keep good tenants. Track every request and its fix in writing.
Conduct annual inspectionsA scheduled yearly walkthrough catches small problems while they are still small.

End the lease

Walk through with your move-in record, return the deposit, settle anything open.

Conduct a move-out walkthroughWalk the home with your move-in photos in hand and document any changes.
Return security depositReturn the deposit minus documented deductions within your state's deadline.
Resolve any disputesHandle disagreements with documentation, in writing. Your walkthrough records do the talking.

Common questions

Do I have to follow this rental checklist?

No. It is a suggested order, not a rulebook. Skip any step that does not fit your home or your situation. Nothing on it is required to list, show, or lease with Show & Lease.

What are the steps to rent out my house?

Seven stages: prepare the home, market it, screen tenants, sign a lease, hand over the keys, manage the property, and end the lease. Each stage has two to four practical steps, listed above.

How do I screen a tenant?

Check references by phone (previous landlords and employers), then run a credit and background check on every adult applicant through a screening service such as tenantverification.com. Apply the same standard to every applicant to stay fair-housing compliant.

Should I list my rental on Zillow?

Yes, for a rental. Zillow and Trulia are not good for selling a home, but they are not bad for renting one. Free rental listings there rank below paid ones, so also put the listing in the MLS through ShopProp so it appears on every brokerage site.

What should I collect before handing over the keys?

A signed lease, the security deposit, and the first month's rent, all by traceable payment. Then do the move-in walkthrough together and photograph the condition of every room.

How do I protect the security deposit?

Document the move-in condition with dated photos, do the same at move-out, and return the deposit minus documented deductions within your state's deadline.

Is Show & Lease free?

Yes. The rental room, public listing page, tour scheduling, applications, and offers to rent are free. MLS listing is an optional paid service through ShopProp, a licensed brokerage.

What Show & Lease does for each stage

Prepare and market. One form creates your account and your rental listing together. Your public listing page takes tour requests and applications with no renter account, and ShopProp can put the listing in the MLS so it reaches every brokerage site.

Screen and sign. Applications and offers to rent arrive in your room with the terms in writing. Counter in one click. Screen finalists with a credit and background check.

Keys, manage, and end. Tenants can report maintenance requests to your room after move-in. Own & Maintain keeps the lease, deposit, rent ledger, and every repair for as long as you own the home.

General information for landlords, not legal advice. Landlord-tenant rules, deposit deadlines, and screening laws vary by state and city; check yours. MLS listing and syndication provided through ShopProp, a licensed real estate brokerage, when you choose a ShopProp listing service. Equal Housing Opportunity.

The Rental Checklist:
How to Rent Out Your Home