Tenant Trouble ? Women or Men ?

Question

In my opinion not owning any real estate at all but in my current work place I deal with a lot of men and women. I think women in general would give you a much bigger hassell because they expect so much and want to give so little. I'm not saying that men aren't jerks because a lot are....... but in general they usually know what they are getting into ..... and are easier to deal with normally .........

Any thoughts ....

Jason Barnett · Answer

You cannot deny housing to someone based on (among other things) gender.

That said... I understand what you're getting at.  Here's what I've seen:

- Older people (male or female) tend to be better tenants.  I love old people and yes, you are allowed to select based on age so long as you show a PREFERENCE for elderly people.
- Young couples are fine candidates (especially if both of them work)
- Young people that are single (single guys / girls) tend to be the flakiest tenants.  Guys tend to be rough and girls sometimes have boyfriends moving in and out of the apartment.

My best tenants have always been the ones that have had the most stable financial support, PERIOD.  This is really one of those situations where following the law will actually make your business better (crazy huh?  :goofy: )

Dick Green · Answer

I've had good men and women tenants as well as both genders bad.  It's really a coin toss.  I don't think there's anyway to determine which is better based on gender.  The only way pick is the traditional methods which are credit report, job history, rental history and hope that they are accurate indicators of future performance.

N/A N/A · Answer

This is definitely a very charged subject, and large generalizations obviously don't represent every individual. However, I would have to say that while the women I've rented to do tend to call for smaller maintenance issues (and silly things like pilot lights being out on their stoves), they tend to keep the apartment looking nicer than I expect men to, which is good for showings when they're moving out. I've heard that many landlords prefer to rent to women (especially in a college area) because they believe they're quieter and put less wear and tear on the property. I certainly wouldn't turn down a potential renter, however, based on gender, be they male or female. First of all, doing so would be _illegal_. But also, you can't really reliably judge a person's character or how good of a tenant they'll be based on gender. Better to judge by their rental history, credit check and employment references.

Denise Rolland · Answer

Great question!!  I would say that men are more vocal about wanting things fixed, but women can be too.  Then again, some men will just fix it themselves and tell the landlord not to worry about it.  BUT, if they aren't handy, and the woman is - especially some single moms - then they would get it done.

I think this could be a controversial question with so many different factors all around, I hope other women out there don't take it personally.  After all, you're just voicing what you believe and have seen, right?  LOL!

I'm curious as to what other seasoned landlords have seen as far as which are easier.

Denise  8)

N/A N/A · Answer

Wow - this has the potential to be a very HOT topic!

The word in my RE office is this:
  
Men are good renters because, if so inclined, they fix things themselves instead of calling LL.
They also say Women are good renters because they take better care of the property than men do.

I don't particularly agree with either, I have found it depends 100% on the person. You check them out thoroughly & hope for the best!