Pre-screening a roommate

[Hyung ku Kim]

Hello I am in process of being a real estate investor but due to time and money, I think the best way to start is to rent out my spare rooms. I have one person who is interested and he seems like a great fit. However, the background check (through Rentprep) shows one eviction record and active. The amount is less than $1500, which is more than double of what i am charging the room for. In a situation like this do I ask for an explanation or do I decline the roommate immediately? The amount is fairly low and there might be other side of story that i don't know. I am trying to be open as much as possible.

Thank you

[Nathan Gesner]

Decline. Don't waste your time asking for explanations. Just decline them. If there is a valid explanation, they'll probably come back to you and try to explain. Don't accept any explanation that is not backed with verifiable evidence. Your job is not to play judge and jury and settle disputes between people. If the record says he was evicted, there's probably a reason and you should move away from the drama.