Applicant statements that set off subtle warning signals

[Jason Cox]

I thought this might be an interesting topic. I'm talking about during pre-screening before you have run an application. Something that may not be a DQ but sets off your bad gut feeling (rightly or wrongly). I'm not really talking about obvious things like someone needing to move tomorrow. More subtle cues.

For me:

--prescreening answers pre-loaded with any type of "story" instead of just answering the questions

--won't just plainly state their income and give a number when asked  -- "oh I make lots of tips, and I get commissions....  Landlord must put in work if they want to get a real answer from this person.

--inserting irrelevant information when answering questions ("I am a US Army veteran" etc)

--they claim to have no rental history because they owned a house 

[Charles Carillo]

@Jason Cox

Stories and the insertion of irrelevant information to build credibility are the big ones for me. I had a tenant years back insert their religion into nearly every conversation. They were an OK tenant, and I rented to them since their son lived in the property as well but, these items should not cloud your judgment when making a decision. They were not a strong tenant and I would not have rented to them if their son was not living there. Sticking to your requirements, and going with your gut is key in this business.