One perfect, one not so much. What would you do?

Question

I have an applicant family for one of my rentals. I've been following the 4 criteria.

- 3x rent < income

- Good references

- clean background

- No evictions

So far, the wife passes all criteria.  The husband though has one eviction in 2013. He passes all the other criteria though. I feel like this is a gray decision. According to his background check, it looks like he had some financial difficulty in 2013 and 2014.

What are your thoughts on if I should rent to them? And if so,  would you put any other contingencies or requirements?

Fyi: rent = $1450

Neighborhood is a B- in Houston

Thanks in advance!

Account Closed · Answer

Do you know what a con artist is?  Con stands for "confidence."  A con artist is successful because he is able to manipulate you into having confidence in him, even when you really know you shouldn't .  They're charming, likable, and believable.

These guys are shopping for a landlord who will buy their story, which they will only tell - if - the landlord actually runs a credit/eviction check.  Don't be the landlord who rents to these guys.  They're trolling for someone sloppy enough or naive enough to rent to them.

I agree that you must have criteria set in cement.  It's not your job to try and make this square tenant fit in your round hole of criteria.  Eviction = denial.  End of story.

Another clue when you should be denying a tenant, is when you start becoming an investigator.  Approvals and denials shouldn't include investigating why someone has bad credit, or why they were evicted, or why their last landlord gave them a bad referral, etc., etc.

If you just have a firm no to all of the above, tenant screening goes much faster and your risk will be a lot lower.

Kyle J. · Answer

Sure, it's all the "bad landlord's" fault. Lol.

One thing I've found is that everyone who has been evicted usually has a story to go along with it. I don't get wrapped up in their stories, and usually don't even listen to them. I just apply my criteria equally across the board.

One thing I'd suggest is to have pre-determined rental criteria (it sounds like you do) and apply them equally to all applicants (it sounds like you don't). If your criteria states no evictions, well that should mean no evictions (for any of the applicants not just one of them).

Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Kenneth Sok · Answer

Thanks everyone again for your input. It never ceases to amaze me the generosity of BP.

I feel like this is one of those gut check situations. My introduction as well as conversation with the applicants had been pleasant thus far and didn't raise any red flags. The eviction definitely did. When I spoke to her, I told her the recorded date of the eviction was 2013 but she remembered the case going back to 2010. Yes, the story needs to be verified which I plan to do. But I don't get the sense she is lying... yet. Once I uncover more details, I'll be able to make a more definitive decision.

Thomas S. · Answer

Wife didn't remember, bad landlord. She is lying. You need to reject these applicants. As soon as you discover a applicant is lying, did not remember eviction, and claims they had a bad landlord, you immediately reject their application. Eviction means bad tenant not bad landlord.

As for the eviction I do not know of many landlords that would accept an applicant with a recent eviction so see no reason for you to ever consider renting to them. If you do you will be their next bad landlord when you evict.

Kenneth Sok · Answer

Thanks everyone for the responses!

I followed up with the couple about the eviction. The wife was surprised but when i mentioned the details, she remembered the incident.

Turns out they had a bad landlord that they were trying to work with but he filled an eviction against them. They settled out of court but the background check still picked up on it.

Always good to follow up and be forthcoming about these details and the tenant was very open as well.

I appreciate all the feedback.

Russell Naylor · Answer

My question would be how long have they been married? Odd that he'd have an eviction solo unless they weren't together at the time.

Colleen F. · Answer

Was he upfront about the eviction?  Ask him about it.  DId he lose a job or something. The thing that would make me not rent to him is if he was not truthful or the eviction was associated with something other then say a lost job or health.  However your criteria is no evictions/

One perfect, one not so much. What would you do?

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