First, last and security or credit check?

[Deb Sala]

I have a home in a college town where my son resides. He always has a few roommates and generally we look for quiet, brainy kids and have been successful to that end. In the past, his roommates have been military reserve students or friends from class. I was pretty comfortable with the fact that they were not criminals and usually at the University on scholarship. We had an unexpected vacancy and now need to fill a room. I am contemplating a tenant who is a stranger to our family, but he fits the bill as the quiet, studious type. 

In the past, since I have dealt with the kids directly and they have limited credit, I take F,L&S and they are always very motivated to be helpful and get their $ back when they move, which is great. Now I am going to be dealing with a parent rather than the kid directly. We are in Florida, so I believe the eviction process is pretty fast if there's a default (I have never had to do it but I have read up). So my question is, do I go with my instincts and take the usual deposit or do I credit and background check the father? He just got his US Citizenship, so there may be limited data if I run a report anyway. And qualifying for citizenship would mean he has a clean background. I have a pretty tight lease and my son lives in the house, so what would an experienced landlord here do? Thanks!

[Mike McCarthy]

You need to consider whether you want the parent co-signing or not. There are a few good discussions about that here in the forums.

If it were me, I’d take F, L, S and do a credit/background check. It’s $30-40, and while probably won’t turn up anything, if it does - it will be worthwhile.

I also wouldn’t do a co-signer. It’s a trade off between having someone to go after, and having the parent too involved in the rental. Many people decided it’s better to deal with only the student renter, and not the overbearing parent that wants a key, has an issue with the kitchen sink, etc.

I can’t easily find that thread on my phone, but it’s here if you search for co-signers and student rentals.