One of the most critical decisions you’ll make as a landlord is selecting a tenant from your list of applicants. Bad tenants can be costly. They may cause damage to your property, consistently pay their rent late (or not at all) or even move out before the lease is up. On the other hand, a good tenant acts like a caretaker for your property. They pay their rent on time, take care of your property, and notify you of any potential problems before they have the chance to become a major issue. Having an excellent tenant makes your job as a landlord significantly easier!
When trying to find the right tenant for your property, you can save a lot of time by conducting a prescreening interview. After you answer the prospective tenant’s questions about the property, mention that you have a few questions to determine if the property is a good fit for them. Here are some important questions you should ask:
- Do you currently rent? If so, where?
- How long have you lived at your current address?
- Why are you looking for a new place to live?
- What date would you want to move in?
- Where do you currently work?
- What’s your approximate income?
- Have you ever been late paying rent?
- Do you have any gaps in employment? If so, can you explain them?
- How many people would be living with you?
- Does anyone in your household smoke?
- How many parking spaces would you need?
- Do you have any pets? How many and what type? Are they trained/housebroken?
- Would your current landlord would give you a good reference?
- May I contact your previous landlords?
- Does your current landlord know that you’re planning to move?
- Have you ever been evicted?
- Are you familiar with our rental application process?
- Are there any issues I should know about before I run a background check?
- Have you recently filed for bankruptcy?
- Are you willing to pay our lease application fee of $__ if you fill out the application?
- Will you be able to pay the security deposit of $__ at the lease signing?
- Are you willing to sign a (your timeframe) lease agreement?
- Do you have any questions for me about the application or rental process?
Based on the answers the potential applicant gives you, you may be able to save time, energy, and money by weeding out those individuals that you feel won’t be a good fit. For example, if you have a no pets policy but the person has pets, you can both come to an understanding that their application would be denied. It’s also possible that the individual would learn something about the property that doesn’t suit them. In that case, they may decide that they aren’t interested in wasting the time to apply.
The ideal tenant will meet all your criteria and should have:
- Monthly income that is three times the rate of your rent
- A clean eviction report
- A good credit score
- Excellent references
- Steady employment history
Create a Pre-Screening Survey
Another option to pre-screen applicants is to develop a pre-screening survey. One easy and free way to do this is by using Google forms. This can be sent to the potential applicant via email or accessed using a custom link on your rental listing. If the applicant fails to meet your criteria, they can get the decision immediately.
Follow Up Your Pre-Screening Interview with a Thorough Screening
Many landlords would like to go by their gut feeling about rental applicants. However, regardless of how an applicant answers the questions, it may not reflect reality. An individual may say they don’t smoke or have pets, but they may just be providing the answers that they believe will increase the chances of being selected to rent the property. That’s why it’s necessary to follow your pre-screening interview with a thorough background screening.
A complete tenant screening will protect your property and rental income. While screening tenants yourself can take a considerable amount of time, you can save time and energy by relying on our tenant screening services. We offer a variety of packages to help you make the most informed decision when choosing a tenant. We stand behind the accuracy of all our reports with a 100% money-back guarantee. All reports are online and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have any questions about our services, contact us at 1-800-253-2381.
Landlords Property Managers Contact TSCI