All Forum Posts by: Kenneth Davis

Is it illegal to offer discounts of say, like a $25.00 discount for people who have good credit, discount for having held the same job with the same employer for over a year, a discount for not having any criminal record, discount for being a non-smoker, having a positive non-family related rental history and maybe a commuters discount? I have property which I am just totally bewildered with! My offering of a really cheap rent only attracts those largely on disability who cant afford much more than the average cost of a weeks motel stay. My idea is to advertise it for say $575.00, but then to attract more applicants and perhaps higher quality type renters offer advertised discounts for having those good qualities that all landlords generally seek. If I recieve no feedback that appears negative my plan is to offer a Commuter discount, employment discount, good credit discount, rental history discount and maybe any others I think of which would result back to a highly competitive rent of $375 and $475 which I would hope gets me some long term tenants  like those that I have in neighboring cities with much larger populations. My adverising will be kinda "guerilla tactic to attract the most attention by use of a mobile Bill Board towed on the back of a small boat trailer which I can park for short hourly intervals a few times a week at various street corners in the geographic area of the rental. It is a quadraplex and so if I got a full occupancy then all the effort will have ben worth the gamble.

yeah I think I will decline on renting to him. The sole reason my rents are so low was the idea that I could attract more interest in my rentals, but the backfire to my plan was it only seems to attract those on disability which only earn 12K a years tops. I have no idea how these individuals cna live like they do and much less find a rental they can easily afford. Thanks.

CORRECTION TO MY ABOVE POST: The disabled applicant only recieves $1025.00 Monthly and the is not close to 3Xs the asking rent of $475.00. I do have a cheaper rental unit for $375. 00 and maybe this is a lesser risk?

I have an applicant for a a property of mine whom submitted information to a tenant screening service I use that his monthly income from Disability is $1500.00 monthly. My advertised rental that he wants is $475.00 per month and so it would appear that he should easily be able to afford my rental, except the only proof of disability income which he was able to provide me from the Social Security Administration, dated: Nov 28, 2014 indicates only $946.00 to be paid on the 3rd day of each month. He seems highly disorganized and actually could only provide a government ID in lieu on a driver license for identification purposes even though I witnessed him driving a car during an earlier property showing with him. Is he lying about his disability income or maybe this is side money he makes under the table by doing odd jobs? I would be placing him on a Month to Month lease and so what is your take on a tenant like this. His credit score from the tenant screening company I use shows he pays some bills, but others like that of a cell phone he has problems paying. I also wonder how difficult it might be to chase down rent if his cell phone is disconnected due to his history on that. How do I determine his $1500.00 monthly claim or is it a bad risk to rent to an individual like this? This guy is another of Starkes finest, which I mentioned in an earlier discussion. Not many people either have jobs there or that yard signage I have most definatley must be taken down to avoid advertising to these types who stray past my property there.

thankyou for the input  

Forgot to mention that I no longer actually even care to really talk to anyone who calls the number in the for sale sign. I have one sole advertisement in the window that directs those interested passers by, to the website of a tenant screening service I use. I have had a recent individual who must have thought it was a bluff of some sort to go through the internet to pre-qualify for a showing of the propertry and this individuals of record of stacked up debt, an eviction, arrest record was sickening!

Im sorry to offend anyone who favors this hamlet of a city, but so far my advertising infront of the property which is, just across the tracks in downtown, all the unqualified applicants one should only see in maybe a life time! I have seen what appear to be respectable looking individuals throughout the area, but I have only attracted those with poor credit, an eviction or two, criminal records, sob story tellers etc. Is HUD the way to go on this property? I own it flat out and only have to pay those taxes and so it has so far sat vacant and with the aid of a full time job I had to resort too, can afford to keep it vacant I suppose a few solid years or atleast until I sell it. I have successful rentals in Jacksonville and Lakecity Florida which aways get good renters and ones that have chosen to this date stay for years, not months. I am am strict in my screening process, you name it and I do it as far as the background screening of all applicants goes. My thinking sadly, perhaps is guilty until proven innocent in the screening of tenants and I do look for nearly the best I can find. I have not had the luxury of attending court to evict any tenant in nearly 10-12 years now!

I did confirm his Bankruptcy was discharged back in 12/2012, Monthly income is 4Xs the monthly rent and has been able to keep his job for 2.5 years. He had an arrest for possession in 2001 with charges dropped for weed, He did not fill out the application as I have seen other more respectable tenants have and claimed he has bad memory of his a past rental; which I got scant information back through a search on a site equivalent to Peoplefinder. He is the best of the bad apples that North Florida seems to churn out in mass volume and so I thought by my placing him on a month to month cannot be too bad of a risk. Maybe due to luck and a strong legal lease I have never had the pleasure to evict any tenant in my 9 years as a landlord, though I due study the process just incase. I did conduct a short search online for the question of filing criminal charges against a bad tenant should this ever occur which I hope doesnot; found an vague article on AvvoAdvisor which mentioned the  requesting of restitution for any damages caused by a tenant; so I am likely to explore such charges if need be.  My lease I think sets an organized professional tone on the management of my properties with the reward of several of my tenants staying years, versus a few months. 

    Before lease signing I give ample time to review the lease and sometimes like this mans case gave him a sample copy to take home to peruse the clauses and yes check out the facts on his own. Got all of my inspections done on all appliances and structure along with written documentation, still photos and live recorded video of the entire rental prior to all lease signings; even used food dye to show the water better on video for all drainage fixtures!. This new tenant as with all tenants know I take good care of my properties and have the documentation to prove it and time will tell with this new tenant. I have an everything is in writing policy, even if during phone conversation I have to write it down, with signatures required or RTS (refused to sign) filled in the blank, so any sob story will be documented for rent etc. and all tenants know I provide an audit of violations if requested. I hope he turns out better then the last bad apple who is voluntarily leaving after moving in last month for refusing to have his electricity turned on.

I hope one day will come that I dont have to ask so many questions and be able to  offer sound advice from the many experienced great professionals on this site. I think it may be a while though, as each passing year new rental challenges occur.

Yes he told me he is behind payments and foreclosing due to the value of the house dropping from when the housing market crashed a while back. I cross checked his application and even went the extra mile with a web based search to confirm the addresses he mentioned along with any unmentioned. He is probably as worthy a chance on a month to month as any in my area. I confirmed his BK was discharged and I will just require the security deposit with first rent for the M to M lease.