Unable to sell our home in the current housing market, my wife and I decided to become landlords and try to rent out our home. Actually, the whole process was surprisingly easy. We downloaded some free lease templates and found responsible tenants right away. The one thing we overlooked (until our tenants pointed it out) is that the new laws require installing a carbon monoxide detector in the hallway near the bedrooms. Apparently a smoke detector isn’t enough anymore. But fortunately we found an inexpensive one at the local home improvement store and installation was a breeze. So far we’re off to a great start and being a landlord isn’t nearly as intimidating as I’d feared.