Applicant wants to pay 18 months up front?

[Will Vines]

Hey Bigger Pockets, 

So I currently have an applicant for a house I’m renting that’s offering to pay 18 months (our preferred lease length for this listing) up front. He’s a legal immigrant with a work visa that owns a restaurant and gets a lot of money each month from a family business in South Korea. It was hard to understand a lot of the details because of the language barrier, and it seems like a complex situation. I know it sounds extremely sketchy, but I met him at the property and he seems like a nice guy with a family. He showed me his monthly bank statements too, and he is receiving a lot of monthly income.

I know not to accept a couple of month’s rent up front and the problems that it can bring. But I’ve never heard of a situation where someone is willing to pay for the entire lease period up front. We’re fixing up another property now and that cash up front would help a lot right now rather than receiving it over time from another tenant. Is there a downside to renting to this guy that I’m missing?

Thanks for any feedback!