All Forum Posts by: Caria Mitchell

You could, for the purposes of verifying that you are not renting to someone who is potentially dangerous or financially incapable of shouldering the burden of being a roommate, ask them to apply through Zillow so that you can see their background check, that also gives you the opportunity to have others who might be interested in being your roommate as well, apply.

You have every right to refuse to show a property to a person who does not comply with the prerequisites. Showing ID is not only a safety measure for yourself and the other person, it also helps to reduce fraud if someone is unwilling to provide identification and is being this difficult with a simple ask, then I would also question whether or not they would be a good fit as a tenant

If you are using a third-party site to conduct the background checks, sometimes they have the option to send a person, a denial letter, and due to the fair credit act it may be required to send them a notice, informing them that you checked their credit and background so that they have a receipt that it was completed. Other than that, you can prepare a simple notice letting them know that you thank them for applying, however they did not meet the criteria, and you can choose to tell them it was based off of their credit, and or background or simply just say that the minimum requirements were not met. 

I’m in Ohio and I understand this fully. We have a shortage of qualified applicants and conventional renters, which was created over Covid 19. You are comparing your units to other units like yours, however, you may want to consider what makes your unit better. I would recommend more photos, especially of bedrooms. Virtual staging would help, pictures of the parking lot would help as well. Also lower your rent a bit ($1300) and reduce your deposit to $700. 

Highlight the area shopping, business etc, distance to schools . Offer discounts for applying in a short time period or- offer a free application fee. 

Consider this scenario;

You reach out to the tenant and decide to move on, you give them 60 days to move. Scenario 1 they don’t or refuse to move- eviction costs and/or lost rent 

Scenario 2 they move out and Cap ex and turnover costs, lost rent, advertising for new tenants in a somewhat of a qualified tenant shortage, headaches can be avoided by simply having a conversation with the tenant to see where their head is at, and that they understand what your expectations are. To sacrifice a good tenant, which is hard to come by these days in favor of higher rent, may not be the trade-off that you need or possibly want. I would have a conversation with the tenant, and then after that if you determine that’s in your best interest and theirs to seek out a new tenant give them plenty of time and make sure you leave amicably because in case you get more rentals and they are looking in the future, I have a higher income that relationship is sure to last, which means that you have guaranteed business in the future.

We are experiencing a shortage of qualified applicants, I’ve noticed non-conventional applicants vs qualified applicants that don’t have a voucher or some form of subsidy. If you are receiving 3-5 per week that’s not bad, considering the price is what most individuals look for when looking to rent. Lowering it now might not be necessary. I would consider offering an incentive like a free application fee, or $50 off first month, free parking for 3 months etc. Hope this helps.