Tenant screening uncovered DUI's, jail time etc

[Rick Bassett]

Hi All,

Looking for a sanity check here with a potential tenant.

He called on a property, loved it with 2 minutes of walking through it (almost no one loves this property as it has a strange floor plan) and emailed his rental app within a hour. Called me a few hours later looking for a quick approval and said he had a check to drop off. I pushed him back so that we could do a proper screening.

The initial screening (Google) turned up that he was arrested for several DUI's. After a little digging we were also able to find out that he did several 30 - 90 days stints in jail for charges related to these DUI's including violating probation and driving with a suspended license.

I'm inclined to turn him down for the reasons above plus he is self employed 45 minutes from here and has no drivers license to legally get to work.

What would you do?

Rick

[Rob K.]

Sorry if I was vague. The reasons I've found come to these conclusions about certain occupations over the years are as follows:

Self employed - Income fluctuates and almost impossible to collect from after they move. I've found that most self employed people don't claim very much on their taxes, so they screen themselves out. Some will work out fine and I will rent to them if they check out ok. Most do not.

Lawyers - My cousin is a lawyer. We all know lawyers who are fine people. The problem is that they are indoctrinated to solve their problems in the court room. If any little issue comes up between you and your tenant, you could end up in court. If that happens, you are going to lose. It's like bringing a knife to a gunfight. I have no interest in getting into any type of disagreement with a lawyer.

Bail bondsmen - I've met a few. They are in a very sketchy business dealing with criminals on a daily basis. The stories I've heard from them are nothing short of fascinating, but I basically want nothing to do with them. Even in the movie Jackie Brown, Samuel Jackson says, "Bail bondsmen are as crooked as a barrel of snakes". I've found that to be true. If any problems come up between you and them, they know people who can make your life miserable. I prefer to avoid them.

Strippers/hookers - I think this one is obvious, but I have had two for tenants. One was actually that fairy tale you hear about the girl who dances to pay for college. She was a fine tenant, but had some questionable people hanging out at the house. The other was a coked out skank who made mad cash and was always broke. She would pay her rent in $20's and $1's. It was disgusting. Her boyfriend was cool, but she was a horrible person.

Hairdressers - I know I will take some heat for this, but in general, I have found that they are just a small step above strippers/hookers. I don't know if all of the daily gossip turns them into sociopathic liars, or if those types of people are just drawn to the business. I've found that they spend so much money trying to fight time and gravity that rent becomes priority #2. Looking hot is priority #1, even if they are way past their prime.

Landscapers - I suppose this would vary by region and they could be fine tenants in some parts. I see that Matt Devincenzo and Peter Moser are in California and Texas. Landscaping is year round in those states. Where I'm at, there are four seasons. (Usually) Landscapers can make a lot of money in the summer. When fall hits, it slows to nothing. Then in winter, they sit around waiting for it to snow. It doesn't always happen. I should have said in my earlier post that it's because of the seasonal nature in my area. A landscaper in California or Texas would probably be fine for a tenant.

Also, many landlords will not rent to cops. They fear that the law could be used against them if things go bad. I have a cop for a tenant and he's great. There are dirty cops out there, but I've found that most are fine. They are usually very logical people and don't deal with all the mealy mouthed double speak that annoys me.

I hope this helps. Also, If your mom/sister/wife is a hairdresser, just ignore my comments. It doesn't apply to all of them and I know there are hairdressers who are fine people. They can just rent from someone other than me.