Tenant Screening: Required Income = 3x Rent, or A Better Option
Wednesday, January 20
The industry standard for screening prospective tenants’ ability to pay is to use the “rule” that their take home income should be 3x the rent amount. However, a prospect’s ability to pay and their likelihood of consistently paying on time are two different things. How many tenants do you think...
How to Screen Applicants like a Pro(Part 4): Verifying Rental History
Thursday, January 14
Verifying rental history helps you know the real character and intentions of prospective tenants based on the experience of their former landlords. Through verifying, you’ll know if they’ve ever caused damage to previous rentals, if they’ve broken any lease agreements, or if they’ve ever missed ...
How to Screen Applicants like a Pro (Part 3): Verifying Stability
Thursday, January 14
Everybody wants to have tenants that diligently pay rent every month, but veteran landlords know that it’s easier said than done. Most landlord-tenant disputes revolve around money matters (especially missing or late rent payments), and a lot of these issues arise simply because it’s difficult...
How to Screen Applicants like a Pro, Part 2: Debt-to-Income Ratios
Friday, January 01
The industry standard for screening prospective tenants’ ability to pay is to use the rule that their income should be 3x the rent amount (not including utilities). However, a prospect’s ability to pay and their likelihood of paying on time and in full, every month, are two different things. H...
How to Screen Applicants like a Pro, Part 1: Verifying Credit Reports
Friday, January 01
In this series, we’re showing landlords how to screen applicants like the professionals do. The first thing we’re looking at is how to professionally verify credit reports. Many landlords (and even some property management companies) just use credit summaries - but these rarely tell the whole ...
Metro Detroit Cities Deep Dive: Hazel Park
Friday, January 01
There’s no doubt that Metro Detroit is a green pasture for those interested in buy-and-hold investment opportunities. The area is popular for its strong rental market with affordable housing stock. However, it’s also notorious for being overwhelmingly confusing, with its 185 cities and 290 neig...