Old criminal record

[Theodore Arzt]

 I have a potential tenant who sounds really good overall. He and his family are interested in moving in. At the end of showing the place he pulled me aside and told me about his record. 10 years ago he got a conviction for robbery. According to him he wasn’t even the one who committed the crime but couldn’t afford to be labeled as a snitch.  Whether it was him or not I feel like 10 years ago is a long time and he told me about it but on the other hand it still makes me nervous. I haven’t  actually run his background or credit yet but according to him everything else will check out well. With this be an issue for you guys?

[Jim K.]

@Theodore Arzt

If you ever feel tempted to believe even a single word that comes out of a convicted felon's mouth, you're setting yourself up for a fall. Always take that as a given.

Run the criminal check, run the credit check. If the credit has been stellar since the conviction and the apartment is a low-end rental, I would definitely go for it. Convicted felons dragging a lifelong record but with good credit can be exceptional tenants because they know that you have immense power in the relationship. One recorded eviction on their state record and they'll never rent a dwelling again significantly better than a cardboard box.

That being said, there's ALWAYS A risk in these cases. If this is a place that you can't afford to have totally trashed and fully rehabbed, say buh-bye to this tenant.