All Forum Posts by: Mila F.

You didn't do anything wrong, don't worry. If the question had the word "animal(s)" in it, you answered it correctly. ESA is still an animal. Now, if they asked whether the tenant had "pets", then that would be a different story, and only if the tenant's dog was actually an ESA. Since she didn't disclose this dog to you when she applied (even if she's not required), most likely she just has a pet that she's trying to pass for an ESA with a print-out from one of those online "ESA letter" mills. Typical behavior from someone with a fake ESA. 

 Thanks Jonathan! And yes, we always coordinate our visits with the tenants and send an email ahead of time explaining what we do and where we'll look.   This couple has no kids. They are highly secretive however - no online presence under their names while being very tech-advanced, they also installed like seven cameras around the house perimeter. Few other oddities. For that reason their close following made me wonder. 

During our pre-scheduled quarterly inspections, most of our tenants just go about their usual activities—cooking, watching TV, working, etc.—and don’t get in the way. However, we’ve had some different behavior from a newer tenant couple. The husband follows my husband around, and the wife closely trails me throughout the house. This doesn’t really interfere with the inspection, just makes it longer, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s a sign that they’re trying to distract us from something they might be hiding. Has anyone else experienced this or found it to be a red flag?

Interesting, it sounds like they not only breached your lease but also didn't pay the contractor?  "Now they're saying that I told them I'd pay for the work directly to their contractor."  I wonder if there is a risk of a mechanics lien against your property in this situation. 

Looking back, can you think of any red flags when you were screening them?

Cute unit, but photos don't do justice. Highly recommend to use professional photos, makes big difference. Probably the best approach is to take off the market and re-list in a few days with new photos. Will look like a new listing. Good luck!

@Nilusha Jayasinghe I agree their website is in a desperate need of a facelift! In my case, I always tell prospective tenants ahead of time to expect an email from this site, and so far (knocking on wood) no one complained. Good luck!

@Nilusha Jayasinghe you are correct, most popular services provide algorithm-generated resident score and not the actual credit score. I did a bit of research a while back and followed recommendation from someone on BP to use tenantbackgroundsearch com. They still provide the actual credit score, and so far I've been fairly happy with them. However, I did notice that their criminal reports occasionally miss information.  

@Collin Hays that's a 5-star response!

Wouldn't existing rentals/ownership be grandfathered in? Oftentimes that's the case when HOAs implement rental restrictions. 

I do require tenants to have renters insurance and add me as Additional Interest. In terms of coverage, our only requirement is a $300,000 liability, per my insurance agent instructions. The rest is up to them. Once we also requested to add a dog bite coverage of $500,000 for a german shepherd, also following our insurance agent's guidance. Our tenants never object to any of this.