All Forum Posts by: Naguib K.

All good, common sense points/suggestions. If we cannot verify the condition of their past rental property with the previous landlords, we do check the condition of their vehicle whenever possible (with a grain of salt, of course), we ask for two months rent deposit though some balk at the idea, and try to visit their house if it is in our area. We keep our properties in good repair at all times and we are just trying to weed out tenants we call "destroyers". By the way, the "destroyers" may also destroy their own houses not just the rentals. They may often pay their rent on time religiously but still destroy your property and never mention it. Hidden water leaks are the worst. After the tenants move out, you find small long running water leaks hidden under sinks or at shower doors with resulting expensive water damage repairs. Whereas if the tenants would have mentioned a loose pipe or a bottom shower door seal broken, the repairs or replacement parts are usually just a few dollars rather than 100s or 1000s. We tell all our tenants to always inform us of any needed repairs immediately, we want to attend to any maintenance issues right away. Some do but incredibly many do not.

Sorry, what I mean by rental history is only related to the condition of prior rental properties where the prospective applicant lived. Paying the rent or the mortgage payments is another story.

Thanks.

We have done this and it has worked really well. But when the applicants don't live in the area, we can't visit.

When approving new tenants I do my best to screen out people who will not take good care of my property, in addition to screening for income, etc. My single-family home properties are not high-end but neither are they low end. I keep them very well maintained. I often get applicants who are moving from a house they have recently sold because of divorce. Because these applicants have no past landlords to contact and may live out of the area, I really have no good way to check on them aside from their financial background. I have approved these types of tenants in the past and though most are solid some are careless with my rentals and cause more wear and tear or damage than I am comfortable with. Recently I have been requesting a double security deposit from these type of tenants but most do not follow-up.

I would like to know how other landlords check on applicants who are recent homeowners with no rental history .

Recently my $1,500 single family listing on Trulia was highjacked and relisted for $700. The scammer was not able to delete my contact information however. Suddenly I was getting quite a few calls! My favorite was a woman who wanted to know if I was also including lawn care and utilities and if I could wave the security deposit.

When approving new tenants I do my best to screen out people who will not take good care of my property, in addition to screening for income, etc. My single-family home properties are not high-end but neither are they low end. I keep them very well maintained. I often get applicants who are moving from a house they have recently sold because of divorce. Because these applicants have no past landlords to contact and may live out of the area, I really have no good way to check on them aside from their financial background. I have approved these types of tenants in the past and though most are solid some are careless with my rentals and cause more wear and tear or damage than I am comfortable with. Recently I have been requesting a double security deposit from these type of tenants but most do not follow-up.

I would like to know how other landlords check on applicants who are recent homeowners with no rental history .