Screening a tenant who has no references

[Account Closed]

Hi guys, I just had an applicant for a rental unit who has owned his own home for the last 3 years and doesn't have any landlord references. Would I just fall back on the credit/background check? If he wasn't paying his mortgage on time it will show up on the credit report.

I do have alot of other applicants who have references. Would I be safer selecting one of these?

Thanks,
Greg

[Account Closed]

If you can verify they really owned their home for the last three years, and their mortgage was reported on their report, that would be a plus.

But, I agree with  @Account Closed that there should be landlords before that.  If this person really went from Mom's house into his own house, well that doesn't provide any more references, so you'll have to do a little more digging.

One thing I used to do, is ask to see their driver's license to prove they are who they say they are.  While you do this, you write down the address on the license - now you have an address to check against the ones listed on their application.

Then, I would require a personal printed check for the application - and now I have another address.  Plus, I know the applicant has a bank account in good standing, if the check clears.

You'd be amazed at how many applications don't list those addresses.  You can deny them based solely on them not giving you correct info or for omitting info.  

If everything checks out, then I'd go by the credit report and employment history.  If you ask to see a pay stub, you can look at the year-to-date numbers, which will give you an idea of how long they've been working there. If they tell you they've been there 10 years, but their year-to-date shows 1 month's worth of earnings (and it's April), there's another inconsistency.

Also, always Google the business, and then call the HR Dept, never the number of their "supervisor" that they give you.  You can also Google that supervisor number they gave you, to see if it's just some guy's cell phone.