Tenant Screening - long-term lease

[Rodney Kuhl]

I had a person come check out my rental property the other day. She really liked it and wanted to move in right away, but she has bad allergies and could tell the previous tenant (who was from the previous owner, not that it matters to this case, but FYI) had pets in the house. Honestly there isn't any smell in there that I could pick up on, but she said she can tell right away on the carpet that a pet has been there because of her allergies. She's looking for a place she can move into and stay for a long time. But in order to move in, she would need for the carpets to be replaced (the carpets were just replaced 2 years ago by the previous owner, also).

Would any of you consider replacing the carpets for her? The property is 1900+ square feet, so it would be a large expense (I estimated about $6,000 doing a quick measurement and estimate).

I was thinking of potentially replacing the floors for her, and then negotiate with her to sign a 2-3 year lease in exchange. Is this something you might consider, or should I just move onto the next applicant?

[Steve Babiak]

Does she take walks outdoors or avoid them because of allergies?

How could you be certain changing flooring will stop those allergy symptoms? It could be the paint, it could be the windows were open to let fresh air in, it could be ductwork ...