Attracting the right tenants

[Drew Walch]

So I own a 6-plex near where I live and all I seem to get is deadbeat new tenants.  I have had rentals for years and never had the issues I do here including the duplex I own literally next door. This is not a bad area, admittedly not great but not bad area. Until I owned this 6-plex I had one eviction in my career, since this 6-plex I have had four. This place was a dump when I bought it but I fixed it up cleaned it up and it is a nice good looking place.  My partner was the issue early on renting to people that did not have the money for a deposit but he thought would be able to come up with rent some how.  He still has the attitude that "this area" we have to take what we can get but that is absolutely not the case.  I know because I live very close by.  I do not let him vet the tenants any longer but the last tenant I got with a job, first months rent and security deposit quit paying and destroyed the unit before leaving.  How do I stop the cycle?  I do not have this problem at my other locations and I manage them all the same.  Is this just a circumstance of multi family?