Lying tenant and how to verify employment ?

Question

Thank you, guys, in advance for your replies.  My tenant moved in 3 weeks ago and before she moved in, she said that she has 2 children and herself. That is it.  From the first night the guy, who helped her move in, stayed here for 2 weeks. Than he left and in the same day her another "boyfriend" moved in.  I asked for a credit history and background check.  He has no credit history and clear background check.  No job, no vehicle.  When she moved in, she said that she took a week off from work,  ( she is a nurse).  She is still not working. When I did here screening, I checked her 3 paystubs.  She makes almost 9K a month as a traveling RN.  When I tryed to verify her employment, they told me that I need to go to the employment verification website, but they need a SSN and date of birth, and I have to pay for it.  Just a lot of fishy comes from here.

Brandon Rush · Answer

Hey Vera,

Unfortunately most if not all of this should have been taken care of prior to finalizing her lease. Do you have anything in your lease regarding visitors or who are the leased tenants of the apartment? Also, while she may have been able to provide paystubs, did you contact her employer to verify she was actually employed and for how long?

If you have items in your lease regarding visitors, then you need to enforce it and make her aware she is in breach of the lease.  Unfortunately if you already signed a lease with her, and she has no job, you may be at a loss with that one. Hopefully if she does not have a job, she can continue to pay while on the lease and you can boot her when its up.

Good Luck!

Michael Plante · Answer

I would wait another weekif she pays I wouldn’t give it another thought

If she doesn’t I would evict

I am guessing it’s a duplex and you live next door because you know so much about what people do or do not stay what nights and if she works or not

Terri Smith · Answer

It's difficult to know if the applicant is giving you correct information.  Sometimes I google the company to get their HR dept from there or the location that applicant says they work.  I have them submit paystubs and bank statements to verify the income.  People can edit paystubs but you should be able to trace the amounts on their application to the pay stub to the bank statement.  It may seem like a lot of work but worth it to stand a chance at getting a good tenant.

Jonathan R McLaughlin · Answer

@Vera Todoriko nothing automatically suspicious about the job sending people to a web site or it needing social security # to identify.

Dan Schwartz · Answer

@Vera Todoriko

You should have (and protect) their SSN for the purposes of background and credit check.

More and more large employers are using outside services for employment verification.  There is a fee attached for these services, and you need to swallow it in order to do a thorough background check.  Or, save the $50 and risk the consequences of an incomplete check.

Aigo Pyles · Answer

I usually ask for employment history & recent pay stubs .

Michele Fischer · Answer

As a landlord, one of the toughest things is not knowing who is actually living there and just not knowing what is really going on in any situation.

At this point, you have two things to focus on.  Your current situation, and how to make it better next time.

If you don't have strong guest wording in your lease you should add it, but also realizing that you have to give up some control because it is so hard to monitor and enforce.  The income verification you can do more about.  If you are having trouble verifying employment you can request tax forms, you can hire an agency who has more tools to verify, you can be willing to pay a little to get more assurance on who you are turning your property over to.

With your current tenant, issue 10 days notice to comply or whatever it is in your area whenever you are aware of breaches to the contract.  Be firm, be quick, be consistent.  Whether she is working or not is not as relevant as whether she can and will keep paying.  Ride it out until there is reason not to, and don't renew the lease if it is too much drama.  But it is cheaper to keep the current tenant if it is working in any way.  And if it isn't, your first priority is getting posession back.  If someone moving in passes a background check, add them as an authorized occupant if they are weak and as a co-tenant if they have finances to protect.

Vera Todoriko · Answer

Brandon Rush,

Thank you for your reply.  Yes, before she moved in, she signed a lease where it states that she can have a visitor for 7 days in one year.  Also I tried to verify her employment, but they would not give me information over the phone, but send me to find that information on an employment verification website, where I should provide SSN and date of birth.  Is that ok to ask my tenant their SSN or its too late now, because she already moved in.  I purchased 2 family house last year, and I live on the first floor, while the 2nd and 3rd  floor I am renting out.  I had an excellent tenants prior, who live here only 6 months for their sabbatical.

Lying tenant and how to verify employment ?

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