AUDIENCE Homeowners seeking to rent out a single-family residence, perhaps after becoming "accidental landlords." They might have inherited the house, moved into another property with a partner or spouse, or have moved to a bigger home while keeping the old one as an investment property. Also for buyers of single-family homes who hope to step into the world of real estate investing. WHAT'S NEW IN THIS EDITION Combines legal, practical, financial, tax, and business advice into one handy resource, with illustrative stories and tips from actual landlords. Includes key sample forms that every new landlord needs: a rental application, landlord checklist, notice of intent to enter rental unit, and monthly income/expense worksheet. Will address recent trends in state landlord-tenant laws, including state responses to proposed federal narrowing of grounds of discrimination in housing context (so that gender identity is no longer a basis upon which to claim discrimination). Also will cover implications of changes to the credit scoring system, so that history of on-time rental payments will be weighed in. Award winner and customer favorite! Received a Silver Robert Bruss Real Estate Book Award recognizing excellence in published real estate works.
The majority (88.5%) of landlord-owned properties are single-family units, and 80% of rental properties are owner-managed (as opposed to hiring a property manager or management company). [https://ipropertymanagement.com/research/landlord-statistics] "The single-family rental (SFR) sector continued to demonstrate resilience in early 2026, even as home price appreciation cooled. Property-level fundamentals remained stable with occupancy near long-run averages, while rent growth normalized from post-pandemic peaks. The primary underlying drivers of SFR demand -- household formation, lifestyle renting, and persistent affordability constraints -- continued to provide strength and stability to the sector." [https://arbor.com/blog/single-family-rental-investment-snapshot-april-2026/].