Property Manager – West Hills
Most Important Questions to Ask Your Tenants
Question One: Why are you moving?
At first, it may seem like this is none of your business. Listen to the answers, however, as these can surface some scary red flags. You want to watch out for tenants who are moving because of an eviction or a bad relationship with their prior landlord. Be wary of tenants who complain about their current living situation as bad tenants often bring their problems with them. Instead, you want to look for legitimate reasons like needing a larger place for a family or changing jobs.
Question Two: When do you plan on moving in?
If a tenant says something like “tomorrow” or “next week”, it likely means they aren’t good planners. A responsible tenant starts her search well in advance and plans accordingly. In fact, most landlords require 30 days notice from their tenants if they plan on moving out. You don’t want to be their next landlord who only gets last minute notice and has to scramble to find a new tenant. A tenant who is looking 90+ days in advance is equally bad, however. If they’ve just started their search, they are likely to not be ready to commit since they haven’t seen enough places to make a decision. The timing may also not work out if your property will be available sooner. There’s no need to take the time to show your property if you know the timing won’t work.
Question Three: What is your monthly income?
The standard here is to make sure that your tenant has income that is 2.5 to 3 times the asking rent amount. This is just basic math for you – you’re trying to make sure the tenant can afford the rent for your place. Although any monthly debt payments may affect the affordability as well, you’ll be able to validate this later with a credit report. For now, you can assume they’re telling the truth. You can follow this up by asking them if they’ll have the security deposit and first month’s rent available upon lease signing. Knowing this combined with their income gives a great indication of their financial health. Be wary of any tenant that asks to pay the security deposit monthly or installments. A “half now, half later” scenario is typically bad.
Question Four: Can I ask for references from your former landlords and employer?
With the exception of someone moving straight out of their parent’s house for the first time, if the tenant can’t provide references or makes excuses, you should move on. Always require references. Here’s a quick tip from rental experts. Ask for a former landlord as a reference rather than their current landlord. If the current landlord has issues with the tenant or is going through an eviction, he’ll be thrilled at the opportunity to get this tenant off his hands and say anything to do so. A former landlord, however, will likely remember a bad tenant and be happy to give you an honest answer. You should ask former landlords simple things like “Did they pay rent on time”, “Did they respect the property and neighbors” and “Why did they move out?”
Question Five: Will you submit a rental application and consent to a credit and background check?
The answer here is fairly straightforward. Disqualify anyone that refuses an application and credit check immediately. If they won’t consent, it typically means they have something to hide or they know their credit isn’t good enough. If you’re following your screening process, let them know this is a requirement of all applicants and that you treat all applicants equally. You can’t make exceptions. Plus, you’re just following fair housing laws by holding all applicants to the same set of standards. You should also consider asking them directly at this point if they’ve had any evictions. If you have to go through an eviction yourself, it’s a six to nine month nightmare. Their credit report will show whether they have credit issues and whether those were in the past or more recent.
From: www.rentalutions.com
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