Would you rent to this family?

[Sharad M.]

I had a couple come by this weekend to look at one of my rentals. They seemed very nice people, were very respectful. They wanted to fill in an application and went to the ATM to withdraw cash.

The husband called me from the ATM and said he wanted me to know something about his past before he submitted his application. He said he had a drug charge on his record from over 3 years ago.

Everything else about their application looks good. I have called the previous landlord and the landlord has good references for them. They have always paid the rent on time and no issues. The husband's employer also has good things to say about him.

The husband told me that he regrets the drug charge and has not had any issues since he and his wife met and they have two kids (2 and 1 years old). They have both been very respectful and seem nice people. When he submitted his application he told me how much he appreciates me giving him a chance.

They are moving from their old place to be in a better neighborhood and have a bigger place for the family.

I have a good gut feeling about it, but wanted to see what you guys thought. Would you automatically disqualify someone because of this or would you consider if they have started their life fresh? Started a family, found a new job, etc.?

[Sharad M.]

OK, so the story gets interesting. This tenant had put down his employer information and his supervisor's name. I called up the person he put down and she confirmed his employment and pay.

But I decided to look up the employer's number on Google and confirm that both the tenant and supervisor worked there. And one of the managers at the place said that neither of those two people worked there.

Lesson learned - It's always always a good idea to confirm the information with an independent source and never believe anything any applicant writes on the application.