Applicant with eviction

[Bruce Yi]

I have an applicant with an eviction from 2019. He has since restored his credit (740) and has stable employment. What measures can I put in place to reduce my risk as a landlord? What questions should I ask during the screening?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[Kevin Sobilo]

@Bruce Yi, a couple thoughts:

1. Do you have a specific policy on evictions. You should. For example "No evictions within the last 5 years" or 10 or just no evictions period.

2. I would ask the circumstances of the eviction. I would be looking for HOW they explain it and whether they blame others, accept responsibility, and what steps they took as things unfolded. So, it isn't about the story, its about assessing their level of responsibility.

3. I would ask for proof they paid what was owed in the judgement for that eviction. If they paid the landlord who evicted them I would consider them. Otherwise, probably not as they know they can get out of a significant debt by running from and avoiding it and have shown they will do that.