First-Time Owners

Suddenly a landlord? You have options.

Nobody plans this. You inherited your parents' house. Your job moved you across the country. The market will not meet your asking price and the mortgage still comes due every month. Now you own a rental you never asked for, and everyone has an opinion about what you should do with it. Take a breath: the situation is more manageable than it feels tonight, and you do not have to become an expert to handle it well.

A new accidental landlord at his kitchen table with house keys, paperwork, and moving boxes, weighing whether to rent out or sell his Orlando home

Your three real options

There is no universally right answer, only the right answer for your numbers and your next few years. Here are the three paths, honestly.

Sell it now
If holding the property feels wrong for your life right now, selling is a fine answer. We buy houses in any condition for cash, or you can list it traditionally. No pressure toward renting from us: sometimes selling really is the right move.
Explore selling →
Rent it out yourself
If you have the time, live nearby, and know Florida landlord law basics, self managing can work. Our Lease Only plan finds and screens the tenant, puts an attorney prepared lease in place, and hands you the keys from there for 0% monthly.
See tenant placement →
Rent it out, hands off
Full service management from 8% monthly: we handle pricing, marketing, screening, rent collection, maintenance calls, inspections, and statements while you get direct deposits by the 10th. Most accidental landlords land here.
Compare plans →

What renting your home actually involves

Getting the home rent ready, pricing it from real comparables, marketing and showings, screening every applicant, a lease that holds up under Florida's Landlord and Tenant Act, collecting the deposit under the state's strict deposit rules, then rent collection, maintenance calls, inspections, and a proper move out when the lease ends.

Done solo, that list is a part time job with legal homework. Done through a manager, it is a monthly statement and a direct deposit by the 10th. Neither choice is wrong; they just cost different things, your time or a percentage. Our published pricing makes the percentage easy to weigh.

The honest math, before anyone sells you anything

Renting pencils out when the realistic rent beats the true monthly cost of holding the home. Put these side by side before deciding.

What holding really costs each month
Mortgage principal and interest · property taxes (non homestead rates once you move out) · insurance at landlord policy pricing · HOA dues if any · a maintenance reserve, commonly 5 to 10% of rent · management fees if you hire it out · a vacancy cushion between tenants.
What the home really earns
The rent live comparables support, not the number a neighbor got in 2022. Orlando's metro median rent is $1,519, down 2.1% year over year (Apartment List, August 2026), while the metro added 37,690 residents in a year. Soft rents now, strong demand underneath: realistic pricing is everything.

If the earn side wins, renting builds equity while someone else pays the mortgage. If the cost side wins, selling is not a failure, it is arithmetic. The free rental analysis fills in the one number you cannot guess.

The worries every first-timer has

What if tenants wreck my house?
The honest answer: screening is the protection. Every applicant clears credit, income, background, and rental history against written criteria, the move-in condition is documented on video, and approved pets carry up to $750 in damage protection beyond the deposit on qualifying plans.
What if I want to sell or move back later?
Our management agreement is month to month with no termination penalty, so you are never locked in with us. The tenant lease itself does run its term, so we plan lease length around your timeline from the start. Tell us the exit you have in mind and we structure for it.
What if the rent will not cover my payment?
Then you should know that before deciding anything, not after. The free rental analysis gives you the realistic number from live comparables, and we will tell you honestly if renting does not pencil out. Sometimes the analysis is what shows selling is the better path.
What if I have never done any of this?
Neither had most of our owners when they started. That is the point of hiring a licensed brokerage: the pricing, the lease, the deposit rules under Florida law, the maintenance calls at strange hours, all of it becomes our job instead of your crash course.

Accidental landlord questions, answered

I suddenly own a house in Orlando. What should I do first?
Find out what it would rent for and what it would sell for, before making any decision. Those two numbers, next to your mortgage payment and your plans for the next few years, usually make the answer obvious. We prepare a free rental analysis from live comparables within about one business day, and if selling looks better we can talk about that too. Deciding without the numbers is how accidental landlords end up stuck.
Should I rent out my house or sell it?
It depends on three things: whether the rent covers your carrying costs, whether you can use the equity better elsewhere, and whether you have a reason to keep the home, like moving back someday or long term appreciation. Orlando added 37,690 residents in a year, the 10th largest gain of any US metro, which supports long term rental demand. But the metro median rent is $1,519, down 2.1% year over year (Apartment List, August 2026), so the math has to be run honestly on your specific property. We do both sides, management and cash purchases, so you get a straight answer instead of a pitch.
Can I rent the house out now and still sell it later?
Yes. Our management agreement is month to month, so ending management is simple. The tenant's lease does continue for its term, and a buyer generally takes the property subject to it, so if you expect to sell within a year or two, tell us up front and we will set the lease length to match your plan.
Do I need a license to rent out my own home in Florida?
No. Florida requires a real estate license to manage rentals for other people for compensation, but owners may always rent and manage their own property. If you hire a manager, that manager must be licensed. 24PropertyManagement.com, Inc. is a licensed Florida real estate brokerage.
What has to happen before my home can be rented?
It needs to be rent ready: professionally cleaned, safe, and mechanically sound, with working detectors, blinds on the windows, and the lawn in shape. Our published rent ready checklist covers every item. Most homes that were just lived in need a modest punch list, and we can coordinate the work through our vendor network if you are not local.
How much will my house rent for?
That is the free rental analysis. A licensed Florida broker prices your home from live Orlando comparables, usually within one business day, with no obligation attached. It is the single most useful thing to have in hand while you decide what to do with the property.

Live far from Orlando now? See how we work with out-of-state owners. Ready to compare costs? Every fee is on the pricing page.

Start with the number, not the decision.

Find out what the house would rent for, free and with no obligation. Then decide with real numbers in hand. Or just call (407) 588-9600 and talk it through with a person.

Get Your FREE Rental Analysis
Free Rental Analysis Call (407) 588-9600