Warning Signs of a Potential Problem Tenant : Are They in Too Big of a Hurry to Rent?
If you are a landlord or real estate agent, you know that checking a potential tenant’s bank, credit, background, landlord references, and employment information can help you determine whether that person would be a good rental prospect. If the potential renter has shown a history of paying his or her rent on time, that person would make a good tenant, right? Actually, there are other signs that could indicate a tenant who might not become a problem.
Everything else about the applicant appears to be okay so we sometimes ignore these warning signs. Many other times, we are in such a hurry to get the unit back on a paying basis, we go ahead and rent to the person anyway.
When your applicant begins to make a series of statements or excuses of why he or she cannot comply with your requests for information, you may have a potential problem renter. In these instances, you really need to explore further and to ask follow-up questions.
Are They in Too Big of a Hurry to Rent?
Housing is considered to be one of the most basic items for living and is usually within the top two or three priorities of most people. Therefore, we would recommend that you be wary of anyone who is in too big of a hurry to rent or says they “need” to move right away. Maybe this potential tenant will tell you they need an apartment in less than a month. Ask yourself why he or she is in such a hurry to rent. Most people give their current landlord’s at least a 30-day notice to vacate, and many do not even give the notice until they secure another place where they are living.
It’s understandable that you want to get the apartment rented as quickly as possible. But, do not allow yourself to be rushed through your own verification process by a rental applicant, or dismiss something that logically you are telling yourself does not make sense.
Be especially wary if they say they need a place within the next week. This may be an indication that they just got notice of a lock-out for an eviction. Also, it may indicate that they are willing to leave a landlord without giving proper thirty-day notice of intent to vacate. If they are willing to do this to their current landlord, they may be willing to do this again.
Sometimes they may say that they’ve looked and looked and considered many properties, but they just haven’t found the right one, and now need a place to move into right away. Consider this before renting, is your unit really that different than any others on the market? Probably not. What they may be telling you is that they have been very picky and there were problems with every unit they’ve seen, but now they are desperate and are willing to settle. Really though, what this means is that the tenant will likely be unhappy and complain about many little things, and may even try to break their lease.
Ultimately, as a landlord or property manager, you won’t always know what type of tenants you will be dealing with until you’re in the leasing process. However, Instant Tenant Screening should give you an idea. Past behavior is a likely dictator of future behavior. Remember to always clearly state the expectations and outline the consequences of breaking the rules in the lease agreement. As it is a legally binding document, it can guide and protect most any situation you encounter.
One of the easiest ways to address tenant problems is to avoid them altogether. To ensure you get the information you need we’ve created a download that shows you the 9 Most Effective Methods To Reduce Tenant Problems. Get your download today!
You may want to review some other warning signs of problem tenants as well, see what else you can do to address those issues:
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