How to screen and choose the best tenant for your rental property.

Screening and choosing a tenant.

How to choose the best tenant for your rental property.

Understanding the best way to choose a tenant for your rental property can make all the difference between success and failure in the rental property business.

Many property owners make the mistake of accepting a tenant as a referral from a neighbor or acquaintance without doing the necessary background checks. I knew a property owner who had just evicted a tenant for nonpayment, fixed all the damage and was getting ready to re-rent the house when the neighbor from next door stopped by. The neighbor said he had a friend who wanted to rent the house. Because the property owner knew the neighbor as a “good guy” he took the referral based on the word of the neighbor and failed to do any background or income verification checks on the friend. He figured that he would save money and avoid having to do any advertising or showings of the house. So, he accepted the tenant just on the neighbor’s recommendation. Needless to say, within a few months, he was right back in the same spot. He had a non-paying tenant who was not taking care of the house and had to evict, AGAIN.

Choosing a tenant is probably the most important task in rental property management. Always follow fair housing laws first and foremost.

When it comes to finding and selecting a tenant for your investment property there are a number of steps you’ll want to follow…

Step number one – Get the word out.

When it comes to advertising, there are strict rules (laws) for the advertising of rental property. Make sure you adhere to these laws. In today’s age of the internet, there are a number of ways to promote your rental house. The key to finding a good tenant is to have as many possible applicants to choose from. The larger the pool of potential renters the better. If you have more people available to choose from you have a better chance of finding the highest quality tenants for your rental property. Using these available websites is going to be the key to generating interest in your rental.

When developing your listing advertisement it has been shown that certain elements within the listing will help you generate more interest in your house. Two of the most important aspects of your listing will be the description and the photos. Statistics have shown that a well-written description detailing the home along with multiple photos will increase the interest you get from potential renters. Again, the more potential renters who can see your home the better.

Step number two – Charge an application fee.

When it’s time to start taking applications we recommend charging an application fee. This will help you determine motivated renters from the tire kickers. The money you generate from application fees should be used for your background and credit checks as these services usually have a fee. There are a number of tenant screening services available to help you check the background and credit of potential applicants.

Step number three – Processing the application.

Make sure you have written permission from your applicant to check their credit and disclose to them that you will be checking their credit during the rental application process. You will also want potential tenants to provide proof of income and references. When it comes to the affordability factor you should require that your tenants have a gross monthly rent of at least 3x the monthly rent. This will help ensure that your tenants will be able to afford the property without too much burden.

First and foremost are the rules (laws) you have to follow to ensure you comply with landlord/tenant law. Do not ever violate landlord/tenant laws or fair housing laws. The best way to do this is to have a set of guidelines that you follow and never stray from. Before developing your guidelines, make sure you understand landlord/tenant laws so that you don’t unknowingly violate any of them.

Having a system set up for screening tenants will be the key. Every potential tenant must go through the same process every time with no exceptions. Have a strict screening process that is exactly the same for everyone you come in contact with.

Written By: Peter Garian - “Property Management Pete”