which landlord do I trust?
I have a prospective renter who looks good on paper (no prior evictions, stability at job, decent income...) The one red flag I think I see is that he is breaking his 24-month lease after 18 months. When I called the current landlord I get nothing but praise regarding this tenants "always pays rent on time" "great renter" "devastated to lose him". However, when I call the previous landlord (the one from 18 months ago) I get horror stories about this renter.
Should I trust the current landlord? Should I trust the previous landlord? I have heard the most effective reference questions are open-ended, however, I feel like one of the two past landlords is either lying to me or trying to accomplish a personal vendetta (either offloading a bad tenant early for the current landlord or possibly the previous is trying to tarnish this renters reputation due to a personal conflict)
What are the most effective previous landlord questions? What are the most effective "not" open-ended questions?