Would you consider renting to this applicant?

Question

I received a call from someone interested in renting one of my properties.   My gut reaction is that I am not interested in renting to this person, but this is only my second property so my experience is limited.  I don't want to pass up on someone that could be a good tenant because I am making too many assumptions up front.   I also don't want to take her application and application fees if I'm already sure I'm going to reject her.

Here are the things that concern me:

- Willing to rent without seeing the property.

- Moving to town for a new job.

- Will be living with her fiance that doesn't have a job yet

- Works as a dog bahavior specialist, which means she would have strange dogs coming and going. This was the big red flag for me.

Given these things I would reject her application for the slightest issue with her credit or background.  I'm leaning towards "no way!"  Thoughts?

Bob Hines · Answer

I received 2 calls on my current vacancy in the last 3 weeks that were of the, "moving into town and will move in sight unseen" type.  I'm not sure, but I'm guessing either they are a scam (not sure what their goal was?), or a story made up hoping to sneak by any screening process because of the quick move and taking sight unseen.  One was a FL number, said he was in OH and moving to MO.  Once I told him my screening process he mentioned he was in line at the Apple Store and his number was just called and he would call me back in 5 minutes.  Two weeks later and I'm pretty sure I didn't miss out on anything good.

I say don't fret about it and mark this one down as an interesting landlord story you now have to tell.

Angie W. · Answer

@Nicole Williamson lol - yes I guess she would be. For the exact reasons you state - insurance, liability, and not trusting that tenants would have a well behaved, well trained dog. I have met plenty of pit bulls/rots and most of have been big babies BUT I would not go into their house without being invited!

I do put size restrictions although I really have nothing against big dogs. Dogs are just like people, some have had a good upbringing and some haven't - size doesn't matter.

Patrick L. · Answer

I could deal with most of that but I wouldn't want a ton of dogs with behavior issues at the property.  Put it all together and you can probably do better with another tenant.  If I ever have a gut feeling that the tenant isn't right for me I'll just go ahead and reject them.  I did rent to one couple that moved here and rented the house sight unseen and without a job in the area (but with a year's worth of savings for living expenses and GI Bill benefits for housing while he went school part time).  I was a little hesitant but he said he had done a lot of research on the area and checked everything out with street view and was comfortable renting it without seeing it.  He prepaid 6 months prior to moving in and ended up staying 2 years and was a great tenant.

Aly W. · Answer

A lot of red flags there...new job, fiance with no job, self employed (nothing wrong with that if they're willing to provide tax returns), and as others have said, dogs in and out. Does your town have an ordinance about home based businesses like that? Child care would be another liability issue in your property.

My insurance company prohibits what they consider dangerous breeds - pit bulls, Rottweilers, Shepherds, etc. My rental condos have associations that prohibit dogs over 30 pounds anyway, and they only allow 1. That makes it easy.

Mike Harvey · Answer

I went with my gut and notified the person that she didn't meet my requirements.  I'm still curious if anyone else would handle it differently though.

For those that asked, my pet policy is "case by case".  My first tenant had a very big dog, but I met them in person and made the call based on that.  He was just a big lap dog.

John Thedford · Answer

If you are not desperate for a tenant and have not had the property available for long why not wait for a few more applicants and then pick the most qualified? As far as pets, I had a no pet policy until I read that people with pets have fewer options and tend to stay longer. I will let you know how it works out:) However, if this lady is going to bringing pets to your rental property (vs having a shop) I would not consider her.

Nicole A. · Answer

I agree that wanting to rent sight-unseen is sketchy....sounds almost like a scammer. Do you have a pet policy?

She needs to have proof of income. Saying she'll have a job just doesn't fly for me personally because people seem to love to just tell me what I want to hear and not actually do it.

@Angie W.  Would my Pit be considered a "viscous" breed or "vicious"? She does sometimes just lazily, slowly "flow" out of her bed. ;-)

I have a no-pet policy (even though I've allowed a cat before for $50/month extra in rent). I also specifically say no Pit Bull-type dogs or mix. I only say this not because I really think Pit-type dogs are bad, but because Maryland currently makes the landlord responsible for anything bad a tenant's Pit does. And well, I don't trust how well other people (my tenants) treat and/or train their dogs.

I have a Pit Bull myself (see photo) and she's been so much fun and so smart. Every other Pit I've met has also been a lovebug (some think they're lapdogs). But I still won't put my business at risk until these stupid laws change.

Angie W. · Answer

@Mike Harvey They could be a good tenant or they could be a bad tenant. BUT it sounds like they don't meet your rental criteria (which you should have in writing) which is reason enough to say "I'm sorry but you don't meet my requirements for this property."

That being said - I would not want to rent to someone who had all kinds of dogs coming and going. What is your pet policy? I specify that I will only consider 1 dog under 20lbs, no puppies, viscous breeds, or visiting pets of any kind.

I would not agree to rent to someone sight unseen. When you get to town, look me up and we can talk then. If you want to pre-qualify yourself ahead of time and pay an app fee, I might consider that, but I don't know - never faced that situation.

New job can be a hairy situation, boyfriend w/o job even more so. You could possibly get verification, but this would make me uneasy.

In the end, it is your decision, and most times a gut feeling is pretty accurate. Stick to your rental criteria and follow the same procedure for everyone - it is the easiest way to make an educated - not emotional - business decision.