I recommend calling a property managment company. They handle everything from screening and finding a renter, writing the lease, collecting the rents, paying your mortgage with the rental proceeds, any maintenance, evictions if necessary (knock on wood), and all the owner has to do is NOT worry about these items. In my experience, the fees range from the first months rent as payment to acquire the tenant and then a percentage (10%-20%) of the monthly rental amount to manage everything.
Here is a recommended propery manager...
http://www.cummingsmanagement.com/

Having been a landlord for many years let me make one very strong recommendation. Please seriously consider joining the Genesee Landlords Association (GLA) this organization is incredible and the membership is only $100.00/year, quite a bargin compared to many others!

What you get is an incredible body of experience, ongoning classes on everything from furnace repair to tenant selection. Not only do they have acces to some pretty good form they can run credit checks on prospective tenants and their incdredibly informative newsletter includes the last two months evictions rolls to let you know if the tenant applying for your rental is doing so because they are getting kicked-out of someone elses.

Plus their monthly meetings are wonderful networking opportunity to mingle with some of the most active buyers and sellers of real estate in the area - big bonus there!

Peace Out From The Daddy!

Great stuff! Thank you!

Either I am smarter than the rest - or dumber. You decide.
While incomes in Flint have dropped, I have managed to raise the rents. While it is harder than ever to find good tenants, I have the best. In the past I worried about finding a good tenant, and would compromise only to get problem tenants. I once evicted a tenant who moved across the street and kicked down my for rent signs every time I put one in the yard.
Give up?
No. I got smarter. Now I pay $6.00 for on-line credit screenings for instant decisions. Now I fix everything before I will show it. Now I have a fantastic lease (that the judges like). Now I keep an apartment vacant before I will take a chance and cause my good tenants to want to move.
Now I have college degreed professionals living in units once occupied by low income on assistance. Write to me. I'll tell you how I do it.
markfarmer@inbox.com