Choosing the right tenant for your rental unit can be a difficult thing.
How can you tell if someone is going to be a good tenant or not? Here are some “red flags” to watch for when showing your unit to new potential renters.
1. Early Excuses
If you're scheduled to show your rental unit to a potential tenant and they show up late, it's not a good sign that they will be able or willing to make their rent payments in a timely fashion, either.
2. Questioning the application/background check
If a potential tenant questions any part of the application or screening process, it should immediately send up a red flag. Whether it be past evictions or a criminal record, this usually means they know there’s something in there they don’t want you to find out.
3. Frequent Relocation
If during the screening process you learn that this tenant has moved frequently over the past few years, it should raise questions as to why. If this renter has moved often, you have no reason to believe they will stay in your unit for very long, either.
4. Being in a rush
When a potential tenant has some sort of “emergency” and tells you they need to get into the unit as soon as possible, you should wonder whether that emergency could be a pending eviction. Offering to pay extra months' rent in advance to bypass some or all of the application process could mean they’re trying to avoid you finding something that could prevent them from being rented to.
5. Aggressive reactions
If at any time the potential tenant expresses frustration at the application or screening process, you should be very wary of how that tenant will react if and when bad news arises or something goes wrong with the unit. Be on the lookout for any signs that the potential renter might become aggressive if an unpredictable event ever occurs.
A proper application and screening process will ensure you protect yourself from renting to a bad tenant, and save you money in the long run. If you’re looking for an easy way to screen your potential tenants without costing yourself any money, visit https://TenantReport.net and learn about our background checks that cost landlords/property managers nothing.
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