Think on what sort of person you wish to live with. You may prefer a professional, a student or a shift worker. You can also consider what kind of habit the tenant shouldn’t has . If you really don’t like smoking person, it is better to choose non smoker. If you don’t like drinking habit, choose non drinking tenant. If you are alergic to pets, choose tenant that has not pet.

Think on how much you want to charge each week. I don’t think you want to put the price too cheap don’t you ? See the market rates for sharing accomodation. You can do online research on internet by visiting several online property website such as www.domain.com.au (if you live in Australia). And consider how often the payment should be paid by the tenant, weekly or every forthnight. You must consider whether that price includes other expenses or all inclusive. Some people prefer to exclude the power bill, especially if you live in four season countries like southern part of Australia. During the winter time the power consumption is used to increase due the use of heating system.

Think on how many weeks bond money the tenant should provide. Bond money is required to compensate any damage done by tenant during his tenancy. If the tenant does damage any part of the house, you can take that bond money at the time he/she move out. In most cases, the tenant should pay the bond together with the weekly rent payment in advanced at the time he/she moves in. If the tenant can not move in right away, you should ask him/her when exactly he/she is about to move in. If this happens, you must ask for bond money first, to guarantee that he/she won’t change his/her mind. If he/she doesn’t want to get you the bond money, you better go to the next person.

Think to make “To Do or Not To Do” list that the tenant should agree first before start living in your home. Example, if you don’t want your tenant to use your certain kitchen equipment, you need to clearly mention it up front. You can suggest your tenant to have his/her own dishes. Then,Print two copies that list. One for you and one for him. Ask him to sign to prove that he/she has agreed with those terms.

Ask for references. It could be from his/her friends or former land lord/lady. It is very important in case sometime unwanted happens as your tenant might turns to be a thief that mug your home when you go overseas. References are to reduce the risk of letting bad tenant living in your house.