Seeking "Biggest Mistake/Lesson Learned" Tenant Stories

[Melanie Stephens]

[Will Fraser]

I'm always in the process of failing forward, so I'll gladly add to this convo:

• - I second, third, and fourth the above sentiments about screening and interviews.  My failure rate is about 5% if I have interviewed a tenant (even on the phone) and 50% if I have shortcut that.
• - There is NO good reason someone needs to be in a house next-day.  ZILCH.  It's always always always going to turn out poorly.  (okay, to be intellectually honest that's not true, but it is disproportionately likely that someone who "absolutely has to be in the place tomorrow" or even the following week" is a hot mess.  I don't like messes in general, and definitely not on the other end of a lease I'm associated with.)
• - Tenants know so so so little about tenanting, and if we don't educate them then a desperate attorney, a puffed-up coworker, or someone else equally as unreliable WILL.   We MUST understand that tenanting (and homeownership for that matter) are taught in roughly NO schools, no colleges, and few families.  So, they don't know how to be good tenants, BUT this is Murica and every.single.person is an absolute bona-fide top tier "lets' sit at their feet and learn" master of EVERYTHING, so of course the tenant is not going to SEEK out understanding . . .they'll just assume that what they think/feel/want IS the way it is.  We have to insert training.

TLDR?  Here's the highlight:

1. Screen the tenants well.
2. There is (almost) never a good reason to need a place within a few days.
3. Train tenants well.