Do you deviate from your process?

[Nathan Gesner]

Applicant views a house we just listed. He's very interested and has "cash in hand" to move in today. I know this guy personally because he applied to rent from me a couple years ago. He had a good application but decided to rent from someone else.

Despite my knowledge of his history, his ability to pay, and his desire to move in immediately, I stuck with my process and required him to fill out the application. It took him a week to get me everything so I could process his application. I approved his application and he still hasn't put down the deposit four days later so the house is still sitting on the market.

I had enough information to indicate this guy would probably be a good renter. At the same time, it's a red flag any time someone attempts to convince me to speed up my processes by offering cash and a desire to move in immediately. Sure enough, the guy has an OK record but he sucks at communicating and is wishy-washy about what he wants. This indicates trouble and I'm glad we stuck to our processes.

Have you ever deviated from your process? Did it come back to bite you or did it work out?