Cube, if I were you, I would shy away from first time/accidental landlords. These are “landlords” who really don’t want to be landlords but have to move and can’t sell and get out clean. They think they’ll “manage” their house themselves because they can’t afford to hire a mgmt co. Many haven’t a clue what they’re doing and are at a high risk of hypothecating your damage deposit and last months rent, if applicable, for their own use, as well as defaulting on their mortgage(s) during your tenancy. It is always better to deal with a mgmt co when renting a SFR. Or a “landlord” who owns several investment properties and has for many years. These types of landlords are unemotional and treat their tenants professionally. Your tenancy will be strictly business to them. They typically know all the landlord/tenant laws and make sure everything works in their rentals and that their units are clean, habitable and meet all safety criteria before placing tenants in them.
I wouldn’t hand over a large damage deposit/last months rent directly to a first-time involuntary “landlord,” especially a young one with minor children at home, IMO. These types of owners are most at risk of not delivering to you a clean and vacant unit after collecting your deposit, absconding with your deposit(s) and/or defaulting on on or more trust deeds during your tenancy.
Checking on whether a property is in default (or ever has been in default under the present ownership) before turning in your rental application is a good idea under the economic climate existing today.
A property manager with a CA “CPM” designation must abide by the current landlord/tenant laws and ethical standards when deciding whether or not to handle mgmt of a property. Many will refuse to handle mgmt of SFR’s which have previously been in default by a current owner seeking to turn the property into a rental.
