Tenant Screening Criteria

[Andrew Self]

Good morning all! I am set to close on my first investment property tomorrow 🎉🎉 This is a 2 unit multifamily with one unit occupied and the other has been turned over and is ready to rent. What criteria does everyone here set for tenants? Minimum credit score, criminal history, income amount and so on. I have a good idea of what I want but would love to hear input from some more seasoned investors on anything to look for, avoid at all costs and so on. Thanks in advance!

[Eric Blair]

Take this with a grain of salt as I'm a noob myself, but I've had a few tenants in my property. I always meet in person. You get a real good feeling for people in person. Don't listen to sob stories. Don't believe them when they brag about how clean they are. Pay attention to how the dress, timeliness, how they speak to you and who they show up with. Also, get a sudo number. Google voice or mysudo. Use a business email, not a personal one. Everyone else already laid out the criteria. Also check local laws to ensure you don't accidentally commit a crime