Some private landlords tend to just believe what a potential tenant says instead of verification. Keep in mind that some people often lie about their history. Here are eight tips for screening potential tenants of your rental property:
Verify any story
People tend to have a story in order to hide evictions or other mistakes in their past history. Always keep in mind when they are telling you a story about something to consider their age, but also how often the same type of thing happens to people. Is their story one that is believable? If it is then it is most likely true. For example, some people take care of their mother that is ill for years and would most likely have no prior rental history regardless of age.
Always question the potential tenants.
Most people who aren’t good at telling a lie will often be silent for a minute or two trying to come up an answer. Pay attention to any hesitations when they are talking to you about their prior rental history. If they seem nervous or acting strange then you know it is a warning flag.
Make sure to get a credit report on the potential tenants.
Credit reports don’t usually lie to you. A credit report will tell you quite a bit of information regarding the potential tenants. Be careful if they have a ton of addresses showing up on their credit report unless they have a good reason for it. Some people have their mail forwarded all over the place if they left an abusive relationship so please keep in mind that could be the case with some people.
Match the rental history dates up with the credit report.
There is where it gets tricky since sometimes credit reports can get the addresses backwards or in the wrong order. Keep in mind it is mostly accurate though. So when you get the credit report verify the addresses with the rental history on the rental application. If they seem to match pretty well then most likely the potential tenants are being honest.
Do a background check.
A background check will enable you to verify information about them. It will tell you how honest they are. You can also check for evictions and other information is included in a background check. Evictions don’t always show up on a background check depending upon the county.
Always search for evictions.
Evictions are often hidden if the individual is afraid that you won’t rent to them. Some evictions have a good reason behind them that isn’t the tenants fault such as medical problems or job loss. If a tenant lived at a place for three years or longer, but yet got evicted due to medical reasons or job loss then you know that the person MUST have paid their rent all the other years.
Always appreciate tenants being honest with you.
It is a certain type of person that is honest with you about their rental history and any evictions upfront and without wanting to hide it. You can tell in their tone of voice if they seem to acknowledge they made a mistake and it won’t happen again. They often want a second chance if someone would just rent to them.
Be cautious if the person moves around quite a bit.
They might have a good reason for moving around so much if they are in the military or some other type of job or situation. If it seems a little shaky the way they move around so much then question it.
