1 applicant qualifies boyfriend does not

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1 applicant qualifies boyfriend does not

Derrick C.
Guthrie, OK · Member since 2017 · 5 posts · 1 vote

A couple that is applying to live in my first rental unit is currently filling out my application to return to me on Monday.  However just talkimg to them he has a previous eviction on his record and is currently between jobs. She makes plenty of money to cover the 3 times the rent monthly income and said she has good credit and no evictions. I'm going to run full credit and background checks on both of them but I dont know if I should rent to them as a couple even if I would rent to her on her own.  He said that he would be willing to do a double deposit but I'm still not sure about it.  Any recomendations would be grestly appreciated.  I'm in the Oklahoma City area. 

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Kris L.
San Antonio, TX · Member since 2019 · 930 posts · 836 votes
7y

So I guess what would you do if you accepted them, and she moves out 2 months later because they broke up?

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  • Matt F.
    Rental Property Investor · St. Louis, MO · Member since 2019 · 162 posts · 72 votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Derrick C.:

    A couple that is applying to live in my first rental unit is currently filling out my application to return to me on Monday.  However just talkimg to them he has a previous eviction on his record and is currently between jobs. She makes plenty of money to cover the 3 times the rent monthly income and said she has good credit and no evictions. I'm going to run full credit and background checks on both of them but I dont know if I should rent to them as a couple even if I would rent to her on her own.  He said that he would be willing to do a double deposit but I'm still not sure about it.  Any recomendations would be grestly appreciated.  I'm in the Oklahoma City area. 

    To me, it’s a definite no-go.  What is your policy?  If you have one, follow it - every time.  If you don’t have a policy, you need one.  I just got done listening to Brandon Turner’s audiobook on property management.  If you haven’t checked that out yet, you really should.  Best of luck!

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  • Chris HydePro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Oklahoma City, OK · Member since 2019 · 25 posts · 9 votes
    7y

    Agree with @Matt Ferch. If your policy is 3X rent, no evictions, etc...I wouldn’t make any exceptions.

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  • Kris L.
    San Antonio, TX · Member since 2019 · 930 posts · 836 votes
    7y

    So I guess what would you do if you accepted them, and she moves out 2 months later because they broke up?

    3Reply
  • Jonathan BombaciBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Lowell, MA · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    Good tenants = no problems. 

    1 bad tenant that you let slide because you felt bad and wanted to give them a chance = problems. 

    You have a few red flags there. No job, bad credit, and a prior eviction. Any one of them with a good story in this scenario and I may let it slide (with an double deposit), but that’s the unholy trinity.  

    When someone is applying for an apt they put their best face on. Once they’re in the apartment their true colors come out, but by then it’s too late. Move onto the next applicant. 

    [email protected]978-710-8611
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  • Michael Noto
    Real Estate Agent · Southington, CT · Member since 2008 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    7y

    @Derrick C. One thing I have learned over the years filling hundreds of units is to not give prospective tenants a second thought until they actually apply. 

    In most cases when they rattle off their life story to you they are trying to see if they will get approved before they apply. They want to take the risk out of paying the money to apply. 

    Often times the “good applicant” in this situation ends up not being as good as they say and if they do even end up applying you will deny them anyway.  

    Lastly, you came up with minimum criteria for a reason. Stick to them. A little bit of a longer vacancy to find the right tenant is much better than compromising on your criteria and ending up with a nightmare tenant. 

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  • Matt F.
    Rental Property Investor · St. Louis, MO · Member since 2019 · 162 posts · 72 votes
    7y

    Another thought, if you’re still thinking it might be worth the risk to rent your property to this couple, a potential next step would be to reach out to the landlord who dealt with the guy’s previous eviction. Gain a first hand understanding of the context, experience, and associated costs.  Was it relatively benign, or was it months of hell and a trashed property costing $$$$?

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  • Lien VuongBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Boston, MA · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    I would verify that she's able to float the property by herself and assume it'll be just her paying. I use the 4x income metric myself but that's up to you. 

    In selecting tenants I remind myself that Hire slowly, Fire quickly. 

    Bad tenants are easy to find but hard to evict. Vacancy is better than filling it with unqualified people who you will have to evict, that would eat up all your income from that unit .. and then some. 

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  • Deborah BurianPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Oklahoma City, OK · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 412 votes
    7y

    I fully agree with @Michael Noto on the it’s a non-issue until the application is in your hands. I differ with the group in this respect, if she qualifies on her own, we’d rent to her. He couldn’t be on the lease, we won’t talk to him about maintenance and repairs, etc. She’s the tenant. He would have to clear a separate occupant screening that looked at any criminal history and any issues with not taking care of prior rentals. Boyfriends come and go and that’s ok if we’re not relying on them for rent.

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  • Derrick C.
    OP
    Guthrie, OK · Member since 2017 · 5 posts · 1 vote
    7y

    Thank you all so much for your responses. I think your right about not even worrying about it till i have a filled out app in my hand anyway.  Either way I'm just going to wait for the right tenant to come along.

      Derrick Canfield

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