Why the lease and move-in file matter more than they seem
Almost every landlord-tenant dispute, deposits, damage, repairs, early exits, is settled by what was documented at the start. A proper Texas lease and a photo-documented move-in report turn arguments into paperwork checks. A downloaded PDF lease and no condition report turn them into your word against theirs.
Tenant placement in Fort Worth: what it costs and what you get
Tenant placement is everything between an empty house and a signed lease with a qualified tenant: the rent price, the marketing, showings, screening, the lease and the move-in. For Fort Worth, Keller and North Richland Hills owners we do it as part of management, from our office in North Richland Hills.
- Pricing: the rent is set from comparable leased homes near yours, through a free rental analysis.
- Marketing and showings: your home is live on every major rental platform within 5 business days of being market-ready, or we waive the first month's management fee. See marketing and showings.
- Screening: credit, income, rental history, criminal and eviction checks on every adult, against written criteria. See tenant screening.
- Lease and move-in: the Texas lease and addenda, the deposit and a photo-documented move-in report, described below.
What it costs: the placement fee is 50% of one month's rent on the Full Service and Investor Special plans and 75% on the Standard plan, charged when a tenant is placed. Every plan and fee is on the pricing page. If a tenant we place defaults and is removed, or breaks the lease, within the first 6 months, we find you a new tenant with no additional leasing fee (our guarantees).
Deciding between placement only and full management? The full-service vs. tenant placement guide compares the two, and the Fort Worth property management page covers the rest of what we do for Fort Worth owners.
What we handle
- Texas-compliant lease documents, current forms with the addenda your property actually needs (HOA rules, pool, pets, smart devices), not a generic template.
- Security deposits per Texas Property Code, held, accounted for, and returned (or properly itemized) on the statutory timeline. Deposit handling is one of the most litigated areas in Texas landlording; we treat it that way.
- Photo-documented move-in condition reports, room by room, timestamped, acknowledged by the tenant. This single document decides most deposit disputes.
- Move-in coordination, utilities transfer (through our tenant resources), key handover, and a tenant who starts the lease knowing how rent, maintenance, and communication work.
Owner tip: if you self-manage, the move-in condition report is the one document you should never skip. Our guide to Texas security deposit rules explains why.
A clean start sets up everything after
Tenants who begin with clear expectations pay on time more often, report maintenance sooner, and renew more. Leasing connects directly into rent collection and maintenance coordination, one system, not separate chores.