Would you take a tenant with a prior eviction

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Would you take a tenant with a prior eviction

Luka Milicevic
Real Estate Agent · Nashville, TN · Member since 2015 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes

Had a tenant apply. Qualified on income and checks every box. 

Filled out all forms properly, and communicates very well. Has an eviction on record 6.5 years ago. 

If they applied 6 mo from now it would have not even showed up.

So, would you accept this tenant?

Ps: I placed a tenant 4 years ago with a bankruptcy. They pay on time and haven’t heard from them since 

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James Wise
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
7y
Originally posted by @Luka Milicevic:

Had a tenant apply. Qualified on income and checks every box. 

Filled out all forms properly, and communicates very well. Has an eviction on record 6.5 years ago. 

If they applied 6 mo from now it would have not even showed up.

So, would you accept this tenant?

Ps: I placed a tenant 4 years ago with a bankruptcy. They pay on time and haven’t heard from them since 

 No. My team & I run a huge portfolio (1,000+ units) Prior eviction is always a non negotiable with us. However long ago it was is irrelevant to us. If we find out there was an eviction at any point in that tenants life it's an automatic deny.

Play the numbers. There is a higher statistical probability that a tenant who's already had one eviction will get another. Does it happen every time? No. But the Casino doesn't win every hand. However they do turn out a win at the end of the day......Every time. We can't eliminate risk, only mitigate it to the best of our ability using the limited amount of data on these people that we have available.

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  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    7y

    @Luka Milicevic

    Short answer - Yes.

    I normally say no to anyone with an eviction in last 7 years but he is only 6 months away from that and you say he checks all the other boxes so yes I would rent to him.

    I might get a little larger deposit. I can almost always find an excuse to charge a larger deposit due to some derogatory information on someone's background check. I usually do 1.5x the rent unless they are squeaky clean.

    2Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Luka Milicevic:

    Had a tenant apply. Qualified on income and checks every box. 

    Filled out all forms properly, and communicates very well. Has an eviction on record 6.5 years ago. 

    If they applied 6 mo from now it would have not even showed up.

    So, would you accept this tenant?

    Ps: I placed a tenant 4 years ago with a bankruptcy. They pay on time and haven’t heard from them since 

     No. My team & I run a huge portfolio (1,000+ units) Prior eviction is always a non negotiable with us. However long ago it was is irrelevant to us. If we find out there was an eviction at any point in that tenants life it's an automatic deny.

    Play the numbers. There is a higher statistical probability that a tenant who's already had one eviction will get another. Does it happen every time? No. But the Casino doesn't win every hand. However they do turn out a win at the end of the day......Every time. We can't eliminate risk, only mitigate it to the best of our ability using the limited amount of data on these people that we have available.

    12Reply
  • Thomas S.
    Member since 2016 · 13k+ posts · 12k+ votes
    7y

    Accepting a applicant with a eviction is the highest risk tenant, only thing close is bad credit. Accepting a applicant with a old bankruptcy is the flip of a coin as to whether they will work out or not. The fact that yours has worked out is irrelevant. They are not the applicant you are presently screening. 

    I would not accept any applicant with a eviction primarily due to the fact that they have a attitude that would push a landlord to evict. That is severe. I have strict screening standards that are not flexible. if you do approve him don't offer any lease other than M2M. Keep him on a short leash. If rent is not paid on time beging th eprocess to evict next day.

    You need to reassess your screening standards. You should never be in a position of having to make a decision on a applicant. Your screening standards should be making that decision for you automaticly every time.

    8Reply
  • Jason D.
    Rental Property Investor · St. Petersburg, FL · Member since 2017 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    7y

    @Luka Milicevic I would say no, unless they can prove a catastrophic one time even that lead to the eviction.

    Such as a major medical issue where they can prove they moved out to live with family.

    The death of a family member that forced them to move.

    Other things like that would be taken in consideration.

    0Reply
  • Mark Fries
    Contractor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    7y

    @Luka Milicevic

    I just accepted a tenant yesterday that had a prior eviction. There was a huge rat issue and landlord refused to do anything about it, so she parted ways...(I confirmed the story first)

    Has a great job, income etc...I think it will be fine...will update you guys come April 1st lol

    1Reply
  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    7y

    First, I would have to know the reason for the eviction.

    Second, he would need stellar, confirmed Landlord references between that eviction and now.

    Third, he would have to pay a significant deposit of two months rent.

    Your job is to mitigate risk. If this is his only eviction, it could be due to an unscrupulous Landlord, a roommate that screwed things up, or even chalked up to the stupidity of youth. If he can prove six years of good behavior since then and is willing to pay the price, I'd probably rent to him just like I would rent to someone with a felony conviction that's been out of prison for ten years that's got a proven track record.

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    4Reply
  • Anthony Wick
    Rental Property Investor · Ankeny, IA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    7y

    No. Never. A tenant has to make so many bad decisions in their life and refuse to pay rent for months to get evicted. Can you imagine that you have chosen to do everything else with your money, except keep a roof over your head? To me, no excuse is a good excuse. None at all. If a catastrophic event happened in their life, they could have broken the lease and moved out instead of living there for free and wait to be evicted. 

    3Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Jason D.:

    @Luka Milicevic I would say no, unless they can prove a catastrophic one time even that lead to the eviction.

    Such as a major medical issue where they can prove they moved out to live with family.

    The death of a family member that forced them to move.

    Other things like that would be taken in consideration.

     None of these excuses are acceptable. When the landord has a death in the family does he call his tenants & ask them to pay double rent? No as it's totally unrelated to the rental contract.

    0Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Mark Fries:

    @Luka Milicevic

    I just accepted a tenant yesterday that had a prior eviction. There was a huge rat issue and landlord refused to do anything about it, so she parted ways...(I confirmed the story first)

    Has a great job, income etc...I think it will be fine...will update you guys come April 1st lol

     This an April fool's joke or you really rolled with this tenant?

    3Reply
  • Karen F.
    Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2015 · 435 posts · 421 votes
    7y

    It depends upon how hungry you are for the tenant, what your market is like.  In the worst slum area, this guy is a prince.  But think of it this way - this tenant has already demonstrated that he thinks he has a right to stay in an apartment where he is not paying rent, while the LL runs an eviction.  That mindset doesn't change.  Look up the court filing.  If the situation was that he was living with roommates, and he vacated at the end of the lease but a roommate stayed, and the LL had to run an eviction on all of them to regain possession, MAYBE.  But not if he was the one in there being evicted, and you can tell because if he filed a response, and/or made an appearance, he was in there.

    3Reply
  • Mark Fries
    Contractor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    7y

    @James Wise

    I rolled with it !!....I was feeling frisky for some reason

    2Reply
  • Sean Rhodes
    Rental Property Investor · Portland, OR · Member since 2018 · 45 posts · 10 votes
    7y

    @Luka Milicevic sorry buddy I would definitely not rent to this person as a lot of other people have said in this thread it is very hard to get an eviction on your record. You have to have stayed in a property for months and months without paying rent while the court proceedings are taking place and to me that just demonstrates a blatant disregard for you as the landlord. So that being said if you are desperate and there aren’t any other renters in your market maybe you wanna give him a shot. But just understand that he is high risk and is likely to repeat offend.

    0Reply
  • Gus Kazek
    Real Estate Agent · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2018 · 90 posts · 55 votes
    7y
    @Luka Milicevic An eviction 6.5 years ago doenst seem to concerning. Maybe the tenant underwent a change in ownership and the new owner wanted new tenants add wanted him to leave. Sounds like a good tenant if it checks all your boxes.
    0Reply
  • Sam Shueh
    Real Estate Agent · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    7y

    That depends. Good jobs?


    0Reply
  • Patricia Steiner
    Real Estate Broker · Hyde Park Tampa, FL · Member since 2019 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    7y

    Just say no...

    1Reply
  • Amy Beth
    Rental Property Investor · Edison, NJ · Member since 2016 · 753 posts · 565 votes
    7y

    @Luka Milicevic. Personally I would never rent to anyone with an eviction history, no matter how many years ago it was. It means that they screwed another landlord by not paying their rent and then they refused to move out on their own and forced the landlord to evict them. Why even take a risk that they could do the same to you when there are other tenants out there? I would rather accept another tenant with worse credit than someone with an eviction.

    1Reply
  • Aaron Hunt
    All Over, USA · Member since 2017 · 689 posts · 756 votes
    7y

    Fak no.

    My tenants need to make bank, no foreclosures, no evictions, no bankruptcies, no excessive debt.

    2Reply
  • Kat Rathell
    Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2019 · 88 posts · 49 votes
    7y

    We rented to a tenant with 1 prior eviction a few years ago after meeting them, checking other factors, etc. The logic was that that person would not want to have a 2nd eviction on their record - which would make them a persona-non-grata, except in the worst of the rentals. 

    The risk paid off - we have had them for 1.5+ years with no issues. They are low-maintenance and pay on time.

    Some landlords on BP file for eviction the day after the rent was due. You don’t have to have been delinquent for months to be evicted. 

    I know a person with an eviction on their record after they moved out when their landlord refused to cure some very serious issues. They went to court to get out of their lease, and - despite the landlord being on the news as a ‘slumlord’, - they still lost (!?!). 

    Look at all the facts.

    2Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Mark Fries:

    @James Wise

    I rolled with it !!....I was feeling frisky for some reason

     You wild dawg......You wild.

    0Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    7y
    Originally posted by @Gus Kazek:
    @Luka Milicevic An eviction 6.5 years ago doenst seem to concerning. Maybe the tenant underwent a change in ownership and the new owner wanted new tenants add wanted him to leave. Sounds like a good tenant if it checks all your boxes.

     A landlord asking a tenant to leave is a whole lot different than an eviction. It only goes through the court process & shows up on your record when the tenant refuses to vacate the property & the landlord is forced to go through the legal system to regain posession of his property. Typically this process takes a minimum of 6 weeks.

    At no point is renting to someone who has forced a previous landlord to go through this ever in the best interest of the next landlord.

    6Reply
  • Christina Linn
    Investor · Member since 2017 · 83 posts · 46 votes
    7y

    @Luka Milicevic absolutely, given the right circumstances. I judge first on impressions. If the tenant can articulate themselves well and act professionally, plus fill paperwork out correctly I honk that’s great. I once walked into a bank with my toddler and his bucket of toys wearing painting clothes and asked for a million dollars. The banker judged me at first, but after talking he realized I had earned the right to ask for the kind of money.

    I don’t ever judge based on one thing, even if it’s bad credit or an eviction. People’s situations can change. I had a repo on my credit (it was actually a totaled car that insurance didn’t pay off back when I was too poor to cover it) and now I have a nice real estate portfolio and a laundromat. Things change.

    4Reply
  • Chris C.
    Raleigh, NC · Member since 2017 · 347 posts · 94 votes
    7y

    @Luka Milicevic

    Yes. I would make sure everything else is perfect, but yes I would

    0Reply
  • Matthew Olszak
    Real Estate Broker · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    7y

    No evictions is my only absolute across EVERY unit. Even the $500/mo ones. I don't care about the circumstances. If you can no longer afford to live somewhere, you need to move, not drag the landlord through court until the sheriff physically removes you from the unit.

    Beyond that, a major deterrent for evictions is the "unknown". Most tenants don't know the process, so they either fear the threat of eviction ruining their ability to get into a new unit, or they make mistakes in the process which allows for it to be expedited. Someone who has been evicted has learned from their mistakes the last time and can perfect their practice - IE its going to be dragged out and its going to cost you big.

    1Reply
  • Henry Kaldenbaugh
    Verde Valley Arizona USA · Member since 2018 · 115 posts · 98 votes
    7y

    @Luka Milicevic:  Good luck buddy.  Let us know how it turns out.

    0Reply
  • Christin Ross
    Rental Property Investor · Danbury, CT · Member since 2018 · 8 posts · 5 votes
    7y

    I would say NO.  Unless..... you literally have no other qualified tenants then a hard maybe!  Good luck!

    0Reply
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