Prospective tenants in a rush to move: what to look out for?

[Account Closed]

I have a prospective tenant that is eager to move b/c he is living out of a hotel now (in the midst of a divorce; divorce hasn't finalized yet).

He hasn't started the application process yet but when I mentioned cost to move in + presenting 2 pay stubs and 2 bank statements, he didn't seem to wince (though, we were speaking over the phone).

His income, credit score, criminal history, eviction history still hasn't been verified/checked.

But I'm still new to this and I don't know if tenants in a rush to move can cause problems later... In your experience, can they?

[Anthony Wick]

@Account Closed  Yes, there are indeed logical reasons why tenants may want to move in a hurry. I had a tenant that relocated here for work and was living in a hotel. $100 a day. He was most anxious and happy to pay my $1,325 a month rent. Wanted to move in the same day he saw the unit. Of course, there was paperwork and verification to do. 

Make sure you do not skip any steps of your process, but also make it a priority to get through the process quickly. A couple things I would make sure is; they must pay rent and security deposit in cash for this first payment. Do not assume any other type of payment will clear your account and not end up being pulled back as fraudulent. 

Also, if you require utilities in their name, verify that they have actually been transferred prior to giving the tenants the keys. This is in my lease. Even if they sign the lease, that doesn't mean they can just move in. 

If they are actually going through a divorce, then go online to the clerk of courts and see what pops up under their name (which i do for all prospective tenants anyway). 

So yes, it could be a "danger" or "red flag", or it could just be exactly what this person says. He's living in a hotel and really would like to get into a place quickly do to ongoing divorce proceedings. Trust....but verify...