Skip to content
×
PRO
Pro Members Get Full Access!
Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success.
Advanced networking features
Market and Deal Finder tools
Property analysis calculators
Landlord Command Center
$0
TODAY
$69.00/month when billed monthly.
$32.50/month when billed annually.
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime
Already a Pro Member? Sign in here

Join Over 3 Million Real Estate Investors

Create a free BiggerPockets account to comment, participate, and connect with over 3 million real estate investors.
Use your real name
By signing up, you indicate that you agree to the BiggerPockets Terms & Conditions.
The community here is like my own little personal real estate army that I can depend upon to help me through ANY problems I come across.
General Landlording & Rental Properties
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

Updated almost 10 years ago,

Account Closed
  • Edmonton, Alberta
4
Votes |
23
Posts

Rejecting tenant on gut feeling?

Account Closed
  • Edmonton, Alberta
Posted

Hi all, I've been a while researching and learning about renting my first investment property and I finally posted my rental ad this afternoon. Our market is pretty good in Edmonton and I've received a phone call and 6 emails so far about the house. 

To pre-screen I've used the following minimum requirements on my reply emails/phone conversation.

-Salary must be equal to or greater than 3x rent

-No previous evictions

-Good references from all previous landlords

-Credit/Background check will be performed at applicants expense

I'm left with 3 viewings scheduled for this week. Hooray! After I get over the excitement of possibly getting a renter I start to think about some of the information I got on the phone call. 

The lady asked if the minimum salary was for an individual or household. I say household. She says "Ok, we'll be fine then....between myself, my boyfriend, his brother and his cousin we meet that". This gives me pause but I couldn't think of anything else to say/question so I went ahead and scheduled the viewing.

Now, I don't have anything concrete and the application will give me more to work off of but I'm getting a gut feeling that this won't be the best set of tenants. 

I guess my question is this, can you decline an applicant based on a feeling as long as it's not based on race, religion, age, etc. I get a bit of conflicting information when reading tenant screening blogs. For example saying to look at a tenants car condition for an indication of cleanliness but later saying that you should clearly let an applicant know why they were rejected (would you tell them it's because their car was dirty)?

Thanks for any help to this nervous newbie. 

Loading replies...