If you\u2019ve been a landlord long enough, you\u2019ve had a nightmare tenant. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they cost thousands of dollars in unpaid rent, property damage, legal bills, court fees, and pulled-out hair.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d just as soon keep those thousands of dollars and not have a conniving professional tenant or charismatic deadbeat steal them. But can you always spot these nightmare tenants as they smile and hand you their rental applications?<\/p>\n
An ounce of prevention is worth a metric ton of cure when it comes to tenant screening<\/a>. It doesn\u2019t even have to cost you money\u2014have the applicant pay the costs of background checks. But it costs something many landlords are even more loath to part with: their own sweat and work.<\/p>\n Here are some oft-overlooked red flags in advanced tenant screening\u2014subtle warning signs that the charming blonde applicant is actually a nightmare waiting to happen.<\/p>\n When landlords bother to talk to applicants\u2019 employers at all (which is less common than you\u2019d think), they often simply confirm income and employment and leave it there.<\/p>\n But direct supervisors are a gold mine of information about prospective tenants. Do they show up to work on time every day? Or do they drag themselves in 20 minutes late, nursing a hangover and reeking of Boone’s Farm?<\/p>\n Do they always complete projects and tasks on time, or are they routinely behind schedule?<\/p>\n How proactive are they? How conscientious are they? In a word, how responsible are they?<\/p>\n Too many landlords just glance at the FICO score on the credit report\u2014if they bother to run a credit report at all. Forget the FICO score! It\u2019s reductive and often deceiving. The truth is in the actual payment history and often in the type of debt the tenant has.<\/p>\n Lucas Hall, founder of Landlordology<\/a>, sums it up: \u201cI’d prefer someone with $200k in mortgage debt over someone with $20k in credit card debt.\u201d Some debts are, at least conceivably, constructive debt. People go into student debt to better their career prospects. In many parts of the country, a car is unavoidable, so vehicle debt makes sense. And landlords can certainly understand a mortgage for a rental property<\/a> of the tenant\u2019s own.<\/p>\n But what is credit card debt used for? Consumer purchases. And sure, we\u2019ve all been in a tight spot financially at one time or another, but do you really want someone in that kind of financial pinch as a tenant? (For the bleeding hearts out there, the correct answer is \u201cno.\u201d There\u2019s nothing wrong with charity, but give to charity knowingly; don\u2019t confuse it with a business decision.)<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong>3 Sneaky (But Legal) Ways to Screen Potential Tenants<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Some people are just dirty. Others are abusive to the property where they live. If you want a clear window into how an applicant will treat your property, look no further than how they treat their current home.<\/p>\n Give as little notice as possible, and call applicants to let them know you\u2019re in the neighborhood and were hoping to swing by. If you like, bring a copy of a blank lease, and tell them you want to walk through a few points with them in person. But the point is to get inside their home to see how they treat it.<\/p>\n No one\u2019s perfect; there may be a little clutter\u2014after all, they weren\u2019t expecting guests. But if you see trash lying around, food detritus littering the kitchen, holes punched in the walls, or any other activity you wouldn\u2019t want in your property, you have your answer.<\/p>\n If you catch an applicant lying about anything, however small, shred their application. If they lie about one thing, their entire application is suspect. Lies are an indicator of other lies, and people who lie on their application have already proven they are willing to deceive in order to get what they want.<\/p>\n \u201cI reject applicants if they lie about anything,\u201d Hall goes on. \u201cI reject anyone applying for a no-smoking unit, who arrives to the showing smelling like smoke.\u201d<\/p>\n They claim they have no pets, but you see signs of pets around their apartment when you visit? They say they earn $4,150\/month from their job, but their HR department says they\u2019re paid $3,600? They\u2019re applying by themselves, but clearly live with a significant other?<\/p>\n These are all bad omens that honesty is not their strong suit.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the fastest way to get rid of a bad tenant? To give them a glowing recommendation to the next landlord.<\/p>\n But the previous landlord, from a property where the tenant no longer lives, will give you the honest scoop. You should still contact the prospect\u2019s current landlord, they may well level with you, but take their word with a grain of salt. Dig deeper, contact not one but two of the applicant\u2019s landlords.<\/p>\n As a final word on this subject, try to verify the landlord\u2019s identity if you can. Ask how long they\u2019ve owned the property, how long the tenant lived there. If you can easily find the public records showing the landlord\u2019s mailing address, ask them to confirm their zip code. It\u2019s an old trick: applicants give a friend\u2019s name and claim they\u2019re the landlord. But it\u2019s a trick unlikely to work when you contact two landlords and verify both.<\/p>\n How does their criminal background look? Don\u2019t disqualify them simply because a record comes back on their criminal check\u2014that\u2019s actually illegal now nationwide, courtesy of a recent HUD ruling<\/a>.<\/p>\n But not all crimes are created equal. Possession of a dime bag of marijuana? So what? First-degree murder? Fraud? Arson? Another story.<\/p>\n “I never accept anyone who committed a violent crime or one involving intentional property damage (like arson),” explains Hall. In addition to violent crimes and property damage crimes, all crimes involving fraud are major red flags. Unless the crime was decades ago, these types of crimes should disqualify an applicant instantaneously.<\/p>\nBad Employees Make Bad Tenants<\/h2>\n
Type of Debt<\/h2>\n
Dirty Deeds<\/h2>\n
No Such Thing as White Lies<\/h2>\n
One Landlord May Lie, But Not Two<\/h2>\n
Type of Crime<\/h2>\n
Eviction on Record<\/h2>\n