Rental Property Investor · Fort Wayne, IN · Member since 2014 · 251 posts · 129 votes
Hey Guys! Two questions for you...
I have a beautiful new rental I am currently screening tenants for. Have a candidate (...or candidates) where credit, criminal Hx, rental Hx, income, etc.... are all GREAT.
The two things that stand out (that I'd like some insight on are):
1) The candidate is actually a woman and her sister. Both in their later 40's. No kids, and again......everything else looks great. Any red flags with "roommates?" If you rent tot hem, do you add them both to the lease, or choose one of them to be accountable?
2) They have a 7 year old, medium size Golden Retriever. They have provided references from multiple tenants and landlords stating that it is well behaved. Once in the past, I rented to a family with a LARGE well behaved dog, and it worked out perfectly, but feels risky. Your thoughts?
@Drew Wiard please consider, for your own sanity, writing down your rental criteria when your unit is full and tenants are paying rent. All of these questions would normally be covered.
1) It is illegal to discriminate based on family status (kids or not). While you didn't say anything that was illegally discriminatory, you also didn't say why them being sisters and having no kids was an issue.
2) Pet policy - what is it? You need to have one like I said above. It should spell out what pet you will take or not. One thing to consider is pet rent and pet registration fees. Most people just take additional security deposit for pets but if you shop at the big box apartment complexes you will see all the fees they have and pets are part of the picture.
Based on what you said, I would take these folks in a heart beat because they fall well within my criteria, but I'm not you and my properties are not your properties. You need to do what works for you.
BTW having written criteria and following it helps your lawyer protect you if you are ever sued for illegal discrimination.
1. You add both to the list. If one leaves, the other remains accountable for the entire rent.
2. Seven year old goldens are big, lazy dogs. Do both these tenants work outside the home? If so, what do they do with the dog while they are away during the day (often dogs cause problems being alone during the day).
All tenants over 18 go on the lease. As Gail pointed out, if one leaves, the other is responsible for the total amount.
As for the dog, my major concern would be peeing on the floor during the day when the owners are at work. As the owner of an elderly, incontinent large dog, I know what I'm talking about!
If you could rectify the dog issue, they sound okay.
@Drew Wiard please consider, for your own sanity, writing down your rental criteria when your unit is full and tenants are paying rent. All of these questions would normally be covered.
1) It is illegal to discriminate based on family status (kids or not). While you didn't say anything that was illegally discriminatory, you also didn't say why them being sisters and having no kids was an issue.
2) Pet policy - what is it? You need to have one like I said above. It should spell out what pet you will take or not. One thing to consider is pet rent and pet registration fees. Most people just take additional security deposit for pets but if you shop at the big box apartment complexes you will see all the fees they have and pets are part of the picture.
Based on what you said, I would take these folks in a heart beat because they fall well within my criteria, but I'm not you and my properties are not your properties. You need to do what works for you.
BTW having written criteria and following it helps your lawyer protect you if you are ever sued for illegal discrimination.
I'd add that whenever I rent to more that one adult, I name the strongest applicant as the primary, to stay and make decisions in the event they no longer want to live together. Much easier to discuss while they are getting along. We always put all the adults on the agreements unless they really protest and it seems reasonable.