Can you deny tenant that has already signed the lease?

[Derek Bonanni]

Hi All,

I have a future tenant that signed a lease and has given a security deposit already.  I just received a call though from one of their references telling me to not let them move in and that they were in his presence when I first called them as a reference.  He is from a foreign country and has no real credit/ rental history.  I called his work and his income is verified.  The reference told me that he will pay the first month and not pay again and that he has children so it will be extremely hard to evict him.  I'd rather just not have him move in than go through all the hassle.  Any info on this would be of great help!

Thanks!

[Shaun Patterson]

I know in our lease we have stipulation that if we find on the application something that was a lie we have a right to cancel the lease. But in your situation I would bite the bullet and let him know that one of the references came back with non pay and if he can verify that it's not true then we have to cancel the lease.  Its simple to verify if its true just ask them to show 12 months of bank statements showing rent being paid or voided money orders.  if he doesn't have a bank account and no other way to prove that he has paid on time during that lease then you have to side with the reference.  Him getting in the property and you having to evict can take a longer time than you telling him verify the allegations that a previous landlord sent to you about him. If its true than its good you caught it now and not later down the road.