Want to See Who Your Prospective Tenants Really Are?
New tenants offer up a mix of emotions for landlords: excitement, relief, nervousness, and probably a few other feelings, too. This is perfectly understandable, considering there’s a lot riding on these people who are probably complete strangers to you, and there are as many horrible tenants out there as there are good ones.
While doing a thorough background check is at the foundation of tenant screening, it’s not a bad idea to try and dig up more info if you can. And thanks to the wonderful world wide web, it’s pretty easy to do. Most of us are already guilty of a bit of internet stalking, so why not apply those investigative skills to finding out all you can about your prospective tenants? Just remember, there are certain laws and regulations in place to protect renters, and you certainly don’t want to break these or infringe on anyone’s rights.
Here are three completely legal ways to learn more about potential tenants:
Google is one of the world’s biggest search engines, with more data than you could possibly imagine - including little tidbits about your prospective tenant. When you plug their name into the search field, you can find out virtually anything they’ve done publicly. Some of this will be stuff that you’ll find during a standard background check (employment and criminal history, for example), but you can also glean information from other public activities that the background check doesn’t cover.
Pro tip: Narrow the search by putting quotation marks around the individual’s name, or by plugging in other data, such as their city of residence or place of employment.
-Social media
Who do you know that’s not using some form of social media? Probably not too many people. This is the way most of the world communicates these days, and it’s a wealth of information for landlords/property owners. If you can find someone on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or some other platform, you’ll uncover a surprisingly accurate picture of who they are and how they live their life.
-Drive by their current residence
This one may seem a little sneaky, but it’s a perfectly acceptable way to broaden your perspective regarding potential tenants. All you do is get in your car and drive past the place they’ve told they’re currently living in! Why go to this trouble? Because now you can see, firsthand, how they take care of a property (provided it’s a single-family residence, of course). Take a close look at how well the yard is maintained, if there’s a bunch of junk lying around, and just the overall cleanliness of the property - because what you see is what you’re going to get at your property should they move in.
Great tenants can be difficult to come by, but doing your due diligence and checking prospective renters out thoroughly can save you a lot of stress and hassle. Don’t rely solely on the results of a standard background check, though. Take the time to dig a little deeper so you can get the most accurate depiction of who may be renting your place.
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