How do I list a room or apartment?
There are five steps to subletting a room or apartment on Caretaker:
1. Create an amazing listing
2. Choose an applicant
3. Sign a legal agreement
4. Accept rent and a security deposit
5. Automate rent payments
Create a listing
The most successful Caretaker listings tend to have clear photos with no mess, floorplans, and information about the roommates if it’s a share.
When you're making a listing, make sure to double and triple check your lease details before you finish your listing: make sure the listing type (private room or entire place), rent amount and length of lease are accurate.
Choose an applicant
When someone applies to your listing you will see their verified employment and income, if they have any notes on their background check (for example, an arrest or an eviction) and their credit score.
If you’re the leaseholder: You can use this information to decide if you want to rent to them and if your landlord would accept them. The required additional documents will be forwarded to your landlord by Caretaker support once you accept an applicant.
If you’re the landlord: This should be all of the data that you need to approve a tenant, but send us a note if something is missing.
Accept an application if you want to move forward with the renter.
Sign a legal agreement
Click on the documents tab of your listings dashboard to find a standard sublease agreement. the agreement is generated as soon as you accept an applicant.
You can edit this agreement or upload other agreements here that you think you’ll need, like a lease assignment agreement or regular lease agreement.
You and the other party should sign in on our website to confirm that you both are committing to the rental.
Get a security deposit and upfront rent
When you are sure you want to move forward with an applicant, ask them for a security deposit and an upfront rent payment.
The upfront rent money will be held in escrow until they move in, and will then be applied to their first month of rent.
The security deposit is held by Caretaker for the duration of the sublease unless you make a claim on it. Caretaker holds the deposit in escrow in accordance with your state laws. Either side can make a claim on the deposit at any point during the lease, if anything goes wrong. Read more here.
Setup rent payments
Make sure that your renter has setup automated rent payments and that you have added a payout account. To add a payout account click on the settings menu item in the drop down menu that you see when you hover over your profile picture. You can also add a payout account from your listing dashboard by going to the payouts tab.