Do they think we won't check?

Question

Seriously?

We had a recent applicant for one of our hoses that isn't quite ready to go yet, and boy could they spin a yarn! Supposedly they were subletting a house and the person they sublet from wants to move back in, so they are desperate to move ASAP. (First warning sign.) We told them the house won't be ready until the end of Jan., so they said they'd keep looking. They come back in a few days saying they got a month extension.

Verbally they say they have 2 kids, on the application it's 3. Hmmmm... what's up with that?

According to the salaries they put on the application they make more than enough to qualify for the rent, perhaps too much? Both of them work for the same employer, a federal agency that won't even verify that they are employed there unless we go through a lengthy and invasive verification process ourselves. Yeah, not gonna happen. Yes, we could ask for pay stubs & tax returns, but the spidey sense is already tingling on this one.

Okay, so let's move on down the application to rental history. They have been at their current address only 3 months. Before that they lived with his mother? Really? Their oldest child is a teenager. Hmmm... doesn't look good. Current landlord is someone we know quite well. Good, we can get the whole story on this subletting business.

Boy, do we get the whole story! It was all a big fat lie! The landlord is trying to get rid of them so she can clean up the house and put it on the market. They are trashy and dirty and fill the house with so much stuff the plumber couldn't even get to the kitchen sink to fix a plumbing problem they caused. As of 4 days ago they still hadn't paid rent for December, and when they were paying it was never on time.

She said that there were a lot of other issues and concluded with, "You really don't want these people to rent from you." We agree. Next time we see them it will be, "We've decided to go with another applicant."

Rob Caldwell · Answer

I learned long ago to remove myself from the emotional attachment to real estate.  This is a business and I have an inventory of widgets.  When I stopped endearing myself to the human element, my life improved dramatically,

Rob Caldwell · Answer

This is why I use a Property Manager.  I let them deal with the swindlers.  The down side to this is that Property Managers don't last long in the property management business.  I have worked with dozens of property management companies and the turnover for PM's is about once every two years.  They just can't take it.  One of them told me that being a PM is worse than trying to manage inmates!

Joe Villeneuve · Answer

I agree with @Rob Caldwell with both of his posts above.  This is one of the reasons for a PM, and "leaving emotions at the door"...which is much easier to do with a PM in place.

Elizabeth Colegrove · Answer

I have learned to trust my criteria and my gutt/spidery sense :) I also would rather self-manage because I know how much work I put to manage "my" properties. Can't image if they didn't have the same amount of value into the sueccs.

Dawn Brenengen · Answer

I can not tell you how many times I've been told an applicant has "pretty good credit," and then when I check it they have 8 trade lines in collections, prior bankruptcy, an eviction, and a 510 credit score.  What would be "bad credit"?

Sylvia B. · Answer

LOL @Bill G.!  No CIA, just the prison at Licking. And they are definitely a pass!

Bill Gulley · Answer

Sylvia, there are no CIA employees living in Douglas County, I'd bet on it! Have them sign a HUD employment verification and mail it to the agency personnel office, they will fill it out and send it back in your self addressed stamped envelope.

If they are telling you that you need to be vetted to confirm employment, tell them to take a hike! I've verified employment with all kinds of agencies and never had an issue, including all known federal law enforcement agencies, the applicant signs it, they comply!

Sounds like you may have some nuts! I'd pass......   :)

Sylvia B. · Answer

No emotions involved - well, other than incredulity. We've been self-employed in retail for 25 years, so we've learned how to handle dealing with the public. Some of them still leave us scratching our heads, however.

I agree with @Steve Vaughan about property managers. I think the good ones are few and far between, so trusting my assets to one is not something I'm comfortable with. Besides that, I'm in a very rural area, and there are no PM companies closer than 50 miles. ;-)

Steve Vaughan · Answer

I've found half the battle of selecting an applicant is avoiding drama and problems.  We that have been in the biz a while with a few dozen rentals could direct our own reality show with this stuff.  Thanks for sharing @Sylvia B.  and good job missing another opportunity to create problems in your life!   @Rob Caldwell  if you have quality PM, that's fine to turn over the management of your most valuable investment to someone else.  My best source of leads is owners fed up with bad PM.  If you have a good one, hold on to 'em! Oh- I see as a Homevestors franchisee(?) you probably have out of area rentals.  That changes my view on what you're doing.  Thought you were ostrich-ing it!

Do they think we won't check?

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