12 Tips on Screening Potential Tenants
12 Tips On How To Screen Potential Tenants To Avoid Problems
At Horseshoe Bay Vacation Rentals, we believe that doing your research is an important part of property managment. Putting in the work upfront can save alot of time, hassle and money in the long run. Here are some good recommendations on how to screen your potential renters:
- Online Research
Thanks to modern technology, you can log onto social media or just do a Google search to find leads on your potential tenant. Plenty of employers are doing it, and landlords are quickly hopping on the bandwagon.
- Make Sure the Application is Complete
Double check to make sure your potential client has signed each and every document, including those for verification (employment, background check, credit check, etc.). You want to make sure that you protect yourself by adhering to the state laws in your state for properly requesting verification documents as well as asking questions that abide by Fair Housing Laws.
- Call Every Reference
This is often skipped, but calling each reference can give you valuable insights on your potential tenant! Don’t be shy, ask the questions. What type of person are they? How long have your reference known the applicant, ask for a characteristic.
- Conduct Criminal Background Checks, Credit Checks, Terrorist Checks, Sex Offender Checks, National Evictions, and others.
Cover all your bases by conducting as many checks as possible. We start out with criminal background checks, credit checks, terrorist checks, sex offender checks, national evictions, and bankruptcies of each potential tenant. The more information you have, the easier it will be to make an educated decision about a prospective tenant.
- Find Out Why They’re Moving
Look at the potential tenant’s housing history and ask them why they’re moving. Does this person move every year? If so, are you comfortable with a short-term tenant? Did they part ways with a previous landlord on good terms?
- Move Fast
Answer your potential tenant’s questions quickly and strive to provide a fast turnaround on applications, paperwork, and anything else. Ask that your potential tenant does the same.
- Get a Copy of their Drivers’ License
Obtain positive identification to ensure that this person isn’t stealing someone’s identity or doing anything malicious. You can use this information to cross-check social media, too.
- See Past Rent Checks
By asking for the past few cleared rent checks, you can learn a lot about your potential tenant. For instance, you can learn who they are writing their checks to, if they’re running late on payments, and how much they are currently paying for rent.
- Ask for Pet Photos
If you have a weight or breed restriction, asking for pet photos can help cull out tenants who might break the rules, but it also lets you see which potential tenants are going to follow the rules.
- Get Application Fees
Make sure to collect your listed application fees as soon as possible and process them quickly.
- Send Verification of Terms
You can’t blame them – not all tenants are going to pick through the rental agreement with a fine-toothed comb. To help them out, and to cover yourself, send a letter or e-mail that summarizes all of your terms.
- Verify Employment
Just as you call those references, you should definitely verify your potential tenant’s employment. This one phone call will not only confirm that your applicant is employed, but it will also give you an idea of what his or her employer thinks about him.
At Horseshoe Bay Vacation Rentals property management, we believe by taking the time to screen your tenants the right way, this provides our clients the best protection against bad tenants. Please visit us at www.HorseshoeBayVacationRentals.com to get more information.
