How do I protect myself from my tenants? The greatest single step to being a landlord is picking the right people. I list my extra rooms at just under market

How do I protect myself from my tenants? The greatest single step to being a landlord is picking the right people. I list my extra rooms at just under market prices with above market amenities and then select the best people. They provide me a month’s deposit and they sign a sublease that clearly states that non-payment of rent for a single month without prior written approval results in automatic cancelation of the lease and eviction (avoiding the long drawn out civil court system). This approach works with consulting and picking clients. If you go for the highest rate you think you can get away with you end up with fewer clients to chose from; sometimes you end up with the one client to chose from. If you price your rates lower you'll (generally) get more potential clients giving you a better choice of who to work with. Caveat: People are funny, and price sensitivity is funnier still. BTW, it's been years since I had any dealings with NYC housing court, but if it's at all the same then all bets are off even if you have a signed contract regarding eviction. My recollection is that the courts were very reluctant to evict people, even when they've skipped paying rent for many months. OTOH years of Bloomberg could very well have changed this.