BiggerPockets

I do a drive by if they are local. If they are on the bubble, I try to visit them at their house, but this is rare.

I do so as much as is practical. For example, had some people who were relocating from FL - I'm not going to travel that far to check. But if they are within 30 to 45 minutes drive, I want to see. The saying is: They will take care of your rental the same as they are taking care of where they now rent.

I try to actually pick up completed applications from them in the house where they now live - nobody has said no who was seriously interested. One actually commented that they had received similar requests from a number of landlords in a row! I offered the above saying as the basic explanation to get them to understand. Did not get an application from that one ...

Now you do have to be mindful of distinguishing deferred maintenance issues (peeling paint on woodwork / walls) from neglect / abuse / carelessness / failure to keep tidy and clean.

Originally posted by Rob K:
I read a book on landlording and the guy said he would go to the house unannounced. When he walked in, he would ask himself two questions:

1. If this lady made me a sandwich right now, would I eat it?
2. Would I want to clean up this house after they move out?

If the answer to both was yes, he approved them.

This would have saved me a lot of money and aggravation if I had asked myself these questions in the past. No, no, NOOOO!

There is another topic going on now about pets in a rental. If the tenant has pets, you definitely want to make sure you do a visit to where they are at before accepting them. You will be able to see whether they care for the pet properly, and you'll be able to smell what your place will smell like if you were to accept them. Just to add another point to what is already in this thread.