Out of state renters?

Question

Hello BP!

Today I gave a showing to a couple in Seattle who are moving here to Chicagoland.  We used Skype.  They both are very nice and the room they were sitting in looked clean.  They love the townhouse and are interested in moving in on January 1st.  They are currently coordinating their move times.

They are moving because the guy got a better job out here.  He assured me that his job is already lined up.  I'm planning on asking for a letter of intent from his employer to confirm that he will have income when he arrives.  Credit scores are both 700+ and background and eviction checks came back clean.  Everything else checks out.

Is there anything else I should be worried about in this situation?  The have confirmed that they are non smokers and that they have one dog (which I'll be getting a pet fee for).  The lease will be very clear that only they are allowed to live in the property with their one dog and that smoking is not allowed.  I have not met them in person.

Would you sign a lease with someone you hadn't met in the flesh?  Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Tim W

Bettina F. · Answer

My concern would be they end up not being happy with what they could not see on Skype, and you would be stuck with unhappy PITAs.  I would do a shorter term lease, until June 1st,to get you though winter and into easy-to-rent season.

They have a month and sound like they are in a position to afford airline tickets.  SeaTac to O'Hare flights are easy and frequent.  How come they are not coming out to see?

Jennifer T. · Answer

For what it's worth, I've rented to OOT tenants 4 times.  It worked out GREAT, 3 of those times.  It was horrible one of those times, but that was not related to them having come out of state.

Kimberly H. · Answer

Given they have credit scores that are that high, I wouldn't worry about them to much. Be sure to "train your tenants" on your expectations at lease signing, Seattle has some of the most tenant-sided laws of anywhere so what they are used to out there won't fly here.  And definitely get that letter of intent from the employer, and then verify it with the employer.

Michele Fischer · Answer

My concern and experience is that people moving from outside the area are more prone to not stay as long, that something in the new job or new location doesn't work out, like the crazy cold winters in Chicago.  In my scoring this applicant would get less points because they have not held their current job for any length of time.  I would want proof of the new job, and I would look at how long they have held previous jobs.  They also lose points for not having lived or having any roots in the area.  You can mitigate this with penalties for breaking the lease early, but you may still have quicker turnover (stay 1-2 years compared to potentially much longer).  So if i have other applicants that are otherwise equal but have a longer job history and know the area, they win out.

Then not having seen the place is less of a concern for me, as long as they aren't being super needy or super uninterested.  We've had people have a "whatever I can qualify for" attitude and we wondered if they would even be living there.  Doesn't sound like you have that situation.  I would ask for a higher holding deposit, which they lose if they decide not to move in.

Out of state renters?

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