Rental applicants lie!

[Marlene Michael]

Tenant screenings can be a nightmare, and today was my first time screening with knowledge gained from BP podcasts and members. My very first tenant was chosen because I needed a tenant, and she was the only one who applied. Big mistake. My second tenant  was a friend of mine who left when she purchased her own home. She turned out to be a great tenant, so our friendship remained intact. Now that she has purchased her own home, I have to find a new tenant.

Today, without the knowledge I've gained on BP, I would have likely made a mistake that could have cost me not only a fortune, but months of heartache. 

The couple was in their late 40's, had adult children, and would be moving in without any other occupants. According to them, the husband had been hurt, and their previous landlord was not compassionate enough to accept their rent on the 6th when his disability checks were coming in, so the landlord kept filing for eviction.

I made it clear that they would not be able to move forward without me speaking to their former landlord(s). She finally emailed me (after leaving) with the information. What happened next was mind blowing.

I called the landlord. She could not believe that the tenants actually gave me her number since she is still in litigation with them for damage to her home, thousands in lost rent, cost of having to remove all of their belongings, etc. She walked me through searching the magistrate court records online where I was able to see that they had been evicted NUMBEROUS times and have other pending civil suits against them. They were using the address she evicted them from 9 months ago as their current address.

But they seemed so nice.... 

Newbies, make the calls. Take the time to really investigate potential tenants. I'm sure glad I did!

[Ursula B.]

@Marlene Michael Good stuff, glad you dodged that bullet! It's amazing what applicants will try to pull.  Here's two more for the newbies...

Had an applicant that called and gave me her whole life history over the phone.  When she submitted an application, I did an online search for her name.  Mugshots galore.  Wanted in connection with a homicide.  She conveniently left that out of her bio. She called back a couple of days later. Told her to Google her name and let me know if she had any questions.  Never heard from her again.

Another applicant seemed promising until her former property management company sent back the rental verification form. She paid late for 12 months and was finally evicted. When I told her what the property management company said, she replied that she wasn't evicted, a padlock was put on the door because the unit was foreclosed.  Told her surely the PM company got her mixed up with someone else, just have them send in a corrected rental verification form.  Never heard from her again.

Can't make this stuff up.