You run the ads, show the property, screen the applicant, check references, sign pages of documents.....and BOOM!
Rent is late, boyfriend moved in and parks on the grass, toys everywhere, dogs who were not disclosed are barking, neighbors are angry at you.What happened??!!
Nothing-its just next to impossible to find the perfect tenant as the bad ones know the drill and what answers you seek. While screening is nice, its not always an indicator of trouble. Here are some tips from 35 years of property management:
- Move-in quickly: Beware the ones who have cash to pay you, but need to move by Friday! We all want tenants quickly but take warning. They might be on the run from their eviction set-out, or their eviction court dates- which many times do not get reported in screenings as they are yet to occur.
- Beware the landlord friend scam. They give you the landlord reference but its their friend who you are calling! Check in public records who owns where they rent from, matching it against their supposed landlord, and if it does not match-beware!
- Do the drive-by test or property visit test! Drive by where they live now or drop by their house for a "copy of their pay stub or ID". Here's the thing-the way that property is cared for is the way your rental will soon look like.
This is 3 simple tests to add to the screenings that may help you in the next chapter of "The Search For The Perfect Tenant"
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