People often ask me how I pick tenants. I could tell you about how to do credit checks or how to introduce yourself to and employer to make sure your application has a job, but from my point of view there's a more important and interesting set of "tells" that future problem-tenants give off in the application process.
In the process of visiting and applying to rent an apartment, red flags often appear. These little signs are an indications as to what kind of tenant the applicant will be later on. Here's a list of my top ten red-flags when it comes to prospective tenants.
1) Person absolutely needs to move in today - he or she has no place else to sleep tonight.
--- most people have friends or acquaintances they can spend a few nights with. Being "in the street" is an indicator of instability. Perhaps their previous landlord threw them out for non-payment. Also, someone who picks your apartment as an emergency last resort is likely to move out as soon as they gain back some stability.
2) Applicant whines about how bad, cheap, or unreasonable his previous landlord was.
--- the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior. If the applicant whines about his previous landlord, he or she will probably whine about you, or worse at you!
3) Application is 30 minutes late for the visit, and doesn't call to let you know.
--- lateness indicates a lack of respect for people's time. Imagine if every time you need to see your tenant to pick up the rent they make you wait for 30 minutes...
4) Application offers to pay 600$, when the announced rent is 900$.
--- your apartment is probably over this person's budget. Either that, or they have a habit of negotiating that will become irritating once they're your tenant.
5) Making arrangements for keys, payment, cheques, filling out an application or visits seems very complicated.
--- if someone is complicated at the beginning of a relationship, they won't become easier to deal with as time goes on.
6) Tenant doesn't have the money to pay his or her first rent cheque. He or she wants to know if they can make the first payment two weeks late.
--- ditto to number 2: someone who pays late at the very beginning of a lease is unlikely to pay regularly and in a punctual manner as time goes on.
7) Person shows up unwashed and unkempt to fill out and application.
--- think about it: someone who doesn't take the time to clean themselves won't take the time to clean your apartment.
8) Tenant says they're moving because their previous place had roaches, bedbugs, or other pests.
--- there's a good chance they'll bring the bugs with them. Either that or some behavior of theirs (lack of hygiene, bringing in contaminated furniture or collecting garbage) attracted the pests in the first place.
9) Tenant has a pet rat.
--- rats are the best escape artists. Need I say more?
10) Tenant says a dog ate their previous apartment; they flooded their last place; the cops busted them for growing pot in the closet; or their neighbors finally managed to get them evicted because of too many parties.
--- you'll be surprised what people will tell you once you get them talking. I always make sure to have a good little chat with prospective tenants. "Why are you moving?" or"What didn't you like about your last place?" are my favorite screening questions.
** this post is inspired from a post on Landlordrescue.ca
http://landlordrescue.ca/10-surefire-tells-bad-tenants/
No comments:
Post a Comment