BiggerPockets

Many renters are irresponsible and others are outright liars. They don't look at it from your point of view or care that you are sitting around. Many of them may have driven by or through the neighborhood and decided they didn't like it. Others may have found something else and not had the courtesy to let you know. It is part of the business but 25 does seem excessive.

8)

Thank you both. I did return a call from an applicant who said she couldn't remember which house she had called about, since she called every ad in the paper. I understand that most of these folks aren't organized or focused.

I've scheduled all appointments on Saturdays at noon. We waited about half an hour each time, since we'd been there cleaning and painting anyway. Now that all that is done, I'm asking them to drive by the house first and confirm an hour before they want to see it. We live an hour away.

The 3 people we've had so far came from being in the house with the door open while we cleaned (there's a For Rent sign in the window). We also put an Info Tube on the porch railing.

The 25 no shows seems to be a record :shock:

Besides these people being irresponsible, they are also very impulsive. I find that they somehow go through life jumping at whatever turns their eye at that moment. They are not dependable. They do not show up on time for anything, because they expect people to give them whatever they need and the only time they get motivate is when either pushed into a corner or it fits their needs. I always knew about these type of people, in fact I have had friends that are like this.

I did not realize that such a huge segment of our society was like this. I always figured that it was small portions of a certain area in a city where these people hung out. In my fishing hole, I have found that 3/4 of the total population is like this. Everyone I run into seems to have this mind set.

I like making the people looking at the property call 30 minutes before the appointment, that way I know they are going to show up (Thanks MikeOH for that tip :D ). I think handling it that way also shows you that you have a better quality tenant because they are one that will put forth the effort to pick up the phone and call you. If they call 30 minutes on the button then I'm pretty sure I have a qualified tenant. Most people won't keep appointments these days and when you get one that does it shows a lot for their character.

-Michael

And another thing Aly L. If you waive app fees you are showing your tenant that you are a push over and then at best every time you should be charging them a fee they will be asking you to waive it. At worst they won't pay their rent on time, keep getting later and later because you always waive the late fee, then finally stop paying rent all together.

A few months ago I read of a person that never charged late fees then when it came time to evict the person because they waived the fees the courts found in favor of the tenant because the owner wasn't charging the late fees and said that a pattern had been established and because of that the tenant wasn't expected to have to pay. YIKES.... ( I did some quick searches and couldn't find the article anyone else have the link to it?)

-Michael

I don't ask for children's ss numbers. I only ask for ss numbers of the adults. I want the numbers for the people that will be signing the lease. I have no reason to ask for a child's ss number. I wouldn't give a landlord my children's ss numbers. They have no reason to need them.

If you can't get people to show up to look at the place then you should probably go back and do some more market analysis on the price of rental housing in that area. If the price is right people will show up. Call other for rent signs and ask them what they are charging and what utilities are included. Number of bedrooms, baths, etc. Make sure you compare with the same class neighborhoods. If your in a class B neighborhood don't comp a class A neighborhood. If your apt is 50 years old, don't comp it with one that is 10. Look for similar rentals and comp those.

-Michael

If your in the middle of the market levels you should be ok. Make sure a for rent sign is on site, and you could also try running an ad on craigslist.org.

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To your earlier post, you want to collect the fees for the application, they are to judge the seriousness of the applicant (so you don't waste your time) as well as for you to pay the fees to run background and credit checks, as well as eviction reports on the tenants. By charging fees to do this you will also attract a higher quality tenant because if they know that you are doing this for them then they know that you are going to be doing it for their future neighbors and the ones that are currently there.

Your job as a landlord is to provide the best quality housing you possibly can for your tenants and this includes making sure that their neighbors are responsible and are not drug dealers and rapist that have loud parties at all hours of the night.

-Michael

Wow, and I thought people being late was a problem! That many no shows is terrible in my opinion.

Is it a cultural thing, maybe? In the UK people are very good about appointments, and usually have the courtesy to call to cancel if they can't make it. Do people just skip other kinds of appointments too?

Originally posted by "jessicatam"

Is it a cultural thing, maybe? In the UK people are very good about appointments, and usually have the courtesy to call to cancel if they can't make it. Do people just skip other kinds of appointments too?

In the US people have a generally dim view of landlords in most areas. There are trashed and mocked in tv, movies and parodies constantly. It's not a "respected" position.....that is until you serve an eviction notice - then it's a hated position. When there's no respect for a position, there's no reason to show up on time.

I decided to post an update on the no show situation, hopefully it will help others. Lately I've been telling folks who want an appointment that they have to call one hour prior to the appointment to confirm. If they don't call, I don't go. Of those that have confirmed, ALL have shown up.

A friend recommended setting up a table and chairs, a few fake plants, nice tablecloth, to make the place look inviting enough to have people fill out the application on the spot. That's also worked for those that like the house.

Hopefully it will result in an actual tenant soon :lol: