Tenant Applicants say the dumbest things

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Tenant Applicants say the dumbest things

Robin Grimes
Real Estate Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2010 · 37 posts · 326 votes

Stupid things Tenant Applicant’s say.

I had renovated a nice 4/3/2 and put it on the market for lease. Here are some of the comments from people who toured the property during the open house or called me from signage.

#1
Young single mother with 3yr old in tow. “My boyfriend will be paying the rent, he said to just go find a place, but I want to rent it in my name, so it will be mine alone.”
I’m thinking: I’m not renting to someone without the verified income to pay the rent. Sorry but a promise from a boyfriend just won’t do.
I’m saying: Here’s a rental application. The application fee is $25 but you should know that I will need to verify income and whoever is paying will need to be on the application and lease.

#2
Middle aged couple with no kids. Wife says “I don’t like the wood floors. If you can put down carpet and repaint to something brighter, we’d be interested. Also you will need to replace the stove.”
I’m thinking: The wood floors are new laminate that I just spent $1400 and two days installing. The paint is all new also. If you want to remodel a house, go buy one yourself.
I’m saying: Here’s a rental application. The application fee is $25. The property is being rented in its newly remodeled condition.

#3
Family. Made appointment and met me at house. Husband says “I need a 3 car garage.”
I’m thinking: The 2 in 4/3/2 stands for TWO car garage. Plus the photos show it’s a two car garage, so why are you here wasting my time and yours? Did you think I was hiding a third garage bay in the back yard?
I’m saying: Here’s a rental application. The application fee is $25. This house only has a two car garage.

#4
Very young guy, young 20’s maybe, called me from sign in yard. He’s parked at house. Says: “ I need a big place for my girlfriend and our 3 month old since we want to have more kids. Could you help me out and rent it to me for $xxx” (about ½ the rental rate).
I’m thinking: So you’re requesting that I contribute half your rent so you can have more kids that you can’t house and support.
I’m saying: I’m happy to provide an application. The application fee is $25. Sorry the rental rate is firm.
.

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Most Popular Reply

Don KonipolBusiness Member
Investor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votes
14y

Last year I was renting a high end high rise condo - rent $1800 per month. A guy asked if I could give him the first 6 months free and waive the security deposit, after he found a job he would make double payments the second 6 months.

Had a tenant a few years back that signed a 12 month lease. always paid her rent on time. The lease of course becomes a month to month if she stays on. I asked her if she desired to renew the lease at expiration, or would she be moving. She said that since she fullfilled her lease obligation by paying 12 months rent she would stay on. She honestly believed that once she paid 12 months rent the apartment was hers for free for as long as she wanted!

But the best one was the tenant that always had an excuse for late rent. One month he told me he had sent the check in on the 2nd, of course I had not received it by the 5th. When I did receive it it was dated the 6th. Called the tenant and told him if he was going to lie at least pre date the check.
The next month I send the tenant an invoice for the rent, late fee, plus $250. The tenant calls and asks what the additional $250 is for. I told him it was a "lying fee". A couple days later I received the rent, late fee, and an additional $500. Called the tenant to ask why he sent an additional $500. He said he knew he would lie to me again in the future so he was prepaying an additional lying fee! BTW, although he is no longer a tenant and hasn't been for some time, he is now a friend. The entertainment value of this guy far outweighted the aggravation.

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  • Bob E.
    Queen Creek, AZ · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    @Larry Tanner  Sounds like you might be better suited to note investing.

    Bob

    0Reply
  • John S.
    Idaho Falls, ID · Member since 2016 · 11 posts · 13 votes
    10y

    Here are a few from Idaho. 

    Applicant: Can we have a discount for additional cleaning of the apartment?

    Me: No, the apartment was professionally cleaned and recently upgraded. 

    Applicant: well, I am sure there is some cleaning still to do. I mean, what about the blinds?

    Me: All the blinds were all replaced a couple days ago, I doubt two days worth of dust is a safety hazard.

    Different Applicant:

    Applicant: I am looking to move in as soon as possible. I need to find a place today.

    Me: Well, I don't think I can help you get in today as the application, back ground check, reference, and credit checks take time to complete. 

    Applicant: Thats too bad we have to be out of our apartment today as we are being evicted. 

    Me: Why are you being evicted? 

    Applicant: We didn't pay the landlord. It sucks cuz my truck got repossessed last week and now I gotta find a new place to live. 

    Me: :/ (I could not help but wonder what he thought background checks were for....)

    Different Applicant (about 80 -90 years old):

    Applicant: I like the apartment except this back bedroom is too small. Also, If you could decrease your rent by $75 then I could be able to afford it. 

    Me: Well, I suggest that you try looking for apartments for which your budget allows. 

    Applicant: There are no 2 bedroom apts within my budget. I just need a bigger ground level apartment with a garage for $400 a month. 

    Me: I wish you luck in your search as this apartment is already priced well below the going rate for 2 Bedroom apts. Apartments that you are looking for go for $550-$600 per month. 

    Applicant: All the apartments I have looked at are just so expensive and the landlords can be so unreasonable. 

    4Reply
  • Gail K.
    Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    "Different Applicant (about 80 -90 years old)"

    I've had elderly applicants tell me about renting "big" houses for only $200 a month.

    Course that was in the "good old days" (like four decades past!).

    These are usually men who mention this; if their wives are with them they either look disgusted or sometimes roll their eyes at this.

    I tell them yep, way back when I was a graduate student in the 1970's I rented a trailer for $95 a month.  It was an 8 by 48 foot wide trailer, had an 8 gallon hot water heater and if you were taller than six feet you were in danger of banging your head on the ceiling.

    Then these men climb back into their ancient but giant Buicks or Oldsmobiles and continue their search for a rental for what they paid back in the "good ole days".

    Gail

    5Reply
  • Larry Tanner
    Altoona, PA · Member since 2016 · 30 posts · 56 votes
    10y

    -Who mows the lawn?

    - Mowing the lawn is your responsibility and will need to be done once a week, every week.  I inspect it weekly.

    - Oh, OK.  Is it OK if I just dig up the green stuff so it doesn't have to be mowed anymore?

    Hey, at least she asked first.

    7Reply
  • Kimberly H.
    Residential Real Estate Broker · Chicago Suburbs, IL · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 594 votes
    10y

    Knock at the door of property I am rehabbing, the landscaper who cuts the grass there every other week, and who I am not thrilled with, is standing there smoking. He asks me what the rent is going to be when listed, I respond that I don't know yet, and he proceeds to tell me that he is interested in the property for himself, I ask if he is on a month to month lease, he says no, I then ask when his lease is ending. After a moment he's like, oh, yes, my lease it month to month, and proceeds to tell me that he had to "pay a little more" to rent where he is now given his foreclosure and bankruptcy.

    2Reply
  • Larry Tanner
    Altoona, PA · Member since 2016 · 30 posts · 56 votes
    10y

    LOL.  Most renters don't understand that renting is a financial transaction.  They think it's charity work and landlords are rich.  But then, most people think that all small business owners are rich, not understanding that many make less than minimum wage.  When you tell them, they don't believe it.  They think that if you own a business, you are part of some secret society of privileged class.

    10Reply
  • Christopher Wick
    Investor · Spring, TX · Member since 2015 · 5 posts · 1 vote
    10y
    Hilarious!
    0Reply
  • Stephen E.
    St Thomas, Ontario · Member since 2013 · 575 posts · 408 votes
    10y

    I had a tenant this week who called to say she was two hours early and could not wait to see the unit. I said I could not really come over, I was at work. This seemed to surprise her. Then she said she could not come at all if she could not see it soon. This should have been my cue to cut her loose, but the unit has been difficult to lease and I said I would drive over. I get there and she is quite normal, asks the right questions and is fairly pleasant. She and her boyfriend were moving from Saskatoon and were looking to rent. 

    Then we were chatting by the elevators on the way out. She asked innocently how long was the lease. I said a year, that is standard. She said they might not be able to wait a year because they were just renting until their condo sold in Saskatoon and they were able to buy here. I said, "Well your condo could sell tomorrow, that might mean you could be here for as little as twelve weeks or less." She said, "Oh yes, but the other landlords said all we had to do was find someone to replace us."

    In Ontario a common means of tenants getting out of leases is for them to advertise and find some deadbeat willing to take on lease payments. If the landlord is held to arbitrarily refuse an assignee then the tenant is out of the lease and can leave with seven days notice. I once had a tenant find someone whose credit report revealed that they had umpteen delinquent accounts as well as court judgments against them from some of the big corporate landlord REITs. They filed with the Landlord and Tenant Board claiming we had been totally unreasonable in rejecting them! This lead to the interesting question of whether you can share a credit report with an LTB adjudicator when they are supposed to be secret and not shown to others, but I guess that is an issue for another day.

    I told my current tenant that if she were to leave we would want to choose who lived there because it is our property. Then I said this just isn't going to work. We can't lease to someone like we are a hotel. We were on our way to view the covered parking, gym, hot tub and sauna. it is a nice high rise building and has lots of amenities. But I hit the button for the ground floor and took her to the door. On the way out I asked her for my application form back. Application forms cost forty cents from the printer our landlord association uses. I was not going to let forty cents walk out the door with this high needs, no return tenant.

    I guess the moral of the story is never race out to see a tenant who is two hours early and wanting an immediate response. Right away they have demonstrated that they are needy and not respectful of your time. But hope springs eternal for a landlord trying to lease up a difficult property. It is tempting to go the extra mile. Next time I will not do so. I will remind myself of the tenant who had no intent of fulfilling a one year lease and only revealed this to me in passing toward the end of the showing. The fact is the average showing leads nowhere, so the average outcome of racing across town will be nothing. On the other hand all it takes is one. There are contradictory pressures when showing units.

    5Reply
  • Lacey S.
    Durham, NC · Member since 2015 · 48 posts · 18 votes
    10y

    @Rick Bassett - Well that conversation happened when I was screening her...that is how I found out she had 4 dogs. I wasn't going to let her move in with 4, trust me, and I certainly wasn't going to let her build a kennel in the backyard. I told her no on the phone and didn't show her the house at all. She just then proceeded to call me constantly. 

    1Reply
  • Susan H.Pro Member
    Investor/Landlord · NWA, AR · Member since 2016 · 227 posts · 132 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Stephen E.:

    I had a tenant this week who called to say she was two hours early and could not wait to see the unit. I said I could not really come over, I was at work. This seemed to surprise her. Then she said she could not come at all if she could not see it soon. This should have been my cue to cut her loose, but the unit has been difficult to lease and I said I would drive over. I get there and she is quite normal, asks the right questions and is fairly pleasant. She and her boyfriend were moving from Saskatoon and were looking to rent. 

    Then we were chatting by the elevators on the way out. She asked innocently how long was the lease. I said a year, that is standard. She said they might not be able to wait a year because they were just renting until their condo sold in Saskatoon and they were able to buy here. I said, "Well your condo could sell tomorrow, that might mean you could be here for as little as twelve weeks or less." She said, "Oh yes, but the other landlords said all we had to do was find someone to replace us."

    In Ontario a common means of tenants getting out of leases is for them to advertise and find some deadbeat willing to take on lease payments. If the landlord is held to arbitrarily refuse an assignee then the tenant is out of the lease and can leave with seven days notice. I once had a tenant find someone whose credit report revealed that they had umpteen delinquent accounts as well as court judgments against them from some of the big corporate landlord REITs. They filed with the Landlord and Tenant Board claiming we had been totally unreasonable in rejecting them! This lead to the interesting question of whether you can share a credit report with an LTB adjudicator when they are supposed to be secret and not shown to others, but I guess that is an issue for another day.

    I told my current tenant that if she were to leave we would want to choose who lived there because it is our property. Then I said this just isn't going to work. We can't lease to someone like we are a hotel. We were on our way to view the covered parking, gym, hot tub and sauna. it is a nice high rise building and has lots of amenities. But I hit the button for the ground floor and took her to the door. On the way out I asked her for my application form back. Application forms cost forty cents from the printer our landlord association uses. I was not going to let forty cents walk out the door with this high needs, no return tenant.

    I guess the moral of the story is never race out to see a tenant who is two hours early and wanting an immediate response. Right away they have demonstrated that they are needy and not respectful of your time. But hope springs eternal for a landlord trying to lease up a difficult property. It is tempting to go the extra mile. Next time I will not do so. I will remind myself of the tenant who had no intent of fulfilling a one year lease and only revealed this to me in passing toward the end of the showing. The fact is the average showing leads nowhere, so the average outcome of racing across town will be nothing. On the other hand all it takes is one. There are contradictory pressures when showing units.

    Glad you didn't get stuck with that tenant!

    Curious: if the unit is in "a nice high rise building and has lots of amenities" what makes it difficult to lease? Is it the type of building or perhaps location?

    1Reply
  • Stephen E.
    St Thomas, Ontario · Member since 2013 · 575 posts · 408 votes
    10y

    @Susan H. I think it is location, it is just over the other side to what is seen as a less desirable part of town. That and electric heat, which in Ontario is very expensive. The electricity budget amount for this unit is now $178 a month, and that is for a two bedroom. On the plus side there is no gas to pay and water is not metered, it is included in the condo fee which we pay and therefore included in rent. But the words electric heat are toxic to tenants at present in Ontario, even if you point out that the costs are not that different from a unit in which water is metered and you pay electricity, water and maybe gas.

    In any event I continue to market the unit. I have another showing on Saturday and then I am headed for a brief vacation and break from viewing the parade of would be tenants.

    0Reply
  • Susan H.Pro Member
    Investor/Landlord · NWA, AR · Member since 2016 · 227 posts · 132 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Stephen E.:

    @Susan H. I think it is location, it is just over the other side to what is seen as a less desirable part of town. That and electric heat, which in Ontario is very expensive. The electricity budget amount for this unit is now $178 a month, and that is for a two bedroom. On the plus side there is no gas to pay and water is not metered, it is included in the condo fee which we pay and therefore included in rent. But the words electric heat are toxic to tenants at present in Ontario, even if you point out that the costs are not that different from a unit in which water is metered and you pay electricity, water and maybe gas.

    In any event I continue to market the unit. I have another showing on Saturday and then I am headed for a brief vacation and break from viewing the parade of would be tenants.

    Thank you for the explanation; this sounds like a real challenge. Best wishes on finding a good tenant!

    0Reply
  • Greg Rutkowski
    New to Real Estate · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2016 · 105 posts · 31 votes
    10y

    @Robin Grimes Thanks, I needed that!

    0Reply
  • Kimberly H.
    Residential Real Estate Broker · Chicago Suburbs, IL · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 594 votes
    10y

    @Stephen E. yes I run into that frequently, people think you are just always at the home and available to show it. Like it's an apartment building with a leasing office. Had a guy this season who had a scheduled appointment for an occupied home that was made the day before, I confirmed the appointment with him an hour ahead, and then just 30 minutes later he calls and tells me he is there, and is all confused and upset as to why he can't see it right then and why I am not there opening the door. I don't know what part of a scheduled appointment time he didn't understand.  Fortunately the existing tenants weren't home to be bothered by the guy. I don't know that he would have even expected anyone to be living there, since the pics I posted show it vacant.

    0Reply
  • Gail K.
    Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    The message on my cell phone regarding our latest rental:  "If you're calling about (address)  it is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house.  Rent is $895 a month.  The security deposit is $895.  It has not been approved for the Section 8 program.  If you would like for me to call you back please leave your name and number".

    Got a call back from someone who left their number (no name).

    Caller:  How many bedrooms is this house?

    Me: (Uh oh) It is a four bedroom, two bath house.

    Caller: How large is the house?

    Me: 1850 square feet

    Caller: Does it come with appliances?

    Me: It has a new refrigerator, a wall oven, a cook top range.  There are washer and dryer connections.

    Caller: Does it have central heat and air?

    Me: (thinking this is GEORGIA!); Yes it has central heat and air

    Caller: Does it have a fenced yard?

    Me: Yes; the large yard is fully fenced in from the front and the back

    Caller:  How much is the rent?

    Me: (good gravy, I'm dealing with an idiot)  $895 a month

    Caller: $895!!!   That's a bad neighborhood!   I want to spend only $550.  You'll never get $895 for that house.

    At that point I just hung up.


    Gail

    2Reply
  • Thomas Williamson
    Investor · atlanta , GA · Member since 2012 · 287 posts · 148 votes
    10y

    I got tired of these phone calls as well.  I call it interviewing for the circus.  Now I video every house (full tour narrating) and post it on YouTube.  I put that link in all the ads, and my voicemail reads something like yours.  Except I tell them to watch the video first before leaving a message, your credit score must be X, no self employment, no smoking, no pets, no section 8, (I have a few other qualifications I list and the message, then the message says) if you think you meet all the criteria and have watched the video, then please leave a message and I'll be happy to call you back.  Man, what a difference!  My voice mails dropped off substantially!  That weeded out all of the tire kickers, and non qualified applicants for me.  It works like a charm, and I get great tenants now.

    5Reply
  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Stephen E.:


    The fact is the average showing leads nowhere, so the average outcome of racing across town will be nothing. On the other hand all it takes is one. There are contradictory pressures when showing units.

    Very true! 

    0Reply
  • Dawn AnastasiPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    10y

    Just had someone call today (to paraphrase):

    I'm interested in the house on [street].  I'm looking to move in as soon as possible, like September 5th.  So maybe like September 13th, or maybe September 1st.  I can have the rent and security right away.

    Podcast Guest on Show #29
    1Reply
  • Gail K.
    Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    A call today..

    "Hi; this is Kevin; remember me?"  
    Me: No.

    Caller: I'm the plumber who helped your tenant at your house next door to the one you're now renting.

    Me:  Oh yes (Kevin is the so-called "plumber" my non-paying tenant talked into digging up her sewer line in the pouring rain...without my permission...when they clogged it a month before they left without paying me my last months rent back in November.  I caught him doing this and told him to stop but not before he had managed to crawl under the house and kick the drain line from the bathroom sink, snapping it).

    Caller: I can't afford your place cuz I'm on disability and besides, you'll never rent it for $895.  Can I rent a room in it instead.

    Me: (Thinking Kevin is now a real estate agent as well as a plumber).  Nope.

    Gail

    4Reply
  • Rick P.
    Rental Property Investor · Grand Haven, MI · Member since 2015 · 71 posts · 108 votes
    10y
    Leasing a simple 3/1 SFH recently.........'Is the garage included in the rent?' Strange question under any circumstances. Even more so when it's an attached garage.
    2Reply
  • Steve Babiak
    Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Rick P.:

    Leasing a simple 3/1 SFH recently.........'Is the garage included in the rent?'

    Strange question under any circumstances. Even more so when it's an attached garage.

    Maybe not so strange of a question - because I have a rental property with a garage attached to one of the units, but the garage is rented separately from that unit. In some places, garages for rent bring in some good money with fewer hassles than having a rental residence. 

    1Reply
  • Kevin French
    Real Estate Investor · Weatherford, TX · Member since 2015 · 34 posts · 15 votes
    10y

    Some of these are really good. I recently left the oilfield and decided to jump into investing full time. Obviously I went from having a steady paycheck to being self employed, but I didn't have the 2 years tax returns like everyone usually wants. I have cash reserves, but not enough to pay a full year like most wanted. And, we have a well trained German Shepherd. It was really, really, really hard to find a place. I had to go to a realtor and ask for help. We were able to get a place for a double deposit and first and last months rent.

    I can just picture the landlords/owners reactions when hearing my story after reading what everyone here has been saying.

    0Reply
  • Matthew Paul
    Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    10y

    Guy showed up to look at the house I have , there is a dog in the car ,  ( I dont allow pets) the first thing he dose is hand me a emotional support animal paper .  ( It felt like he has done this before)  He looks at the house and wants an application ,  then he asks what time in the morning the drive get plowed by because he works .  So I tell him " if you get up early you can shovel it in 2 or 3 hours"   ( Its a 300 ft driveway )   He looks over at my truck and tells me I have a plow mount , why dont I do it ?      Because I plow parking lots about 20 miles away , its how I make a living .    

    He changed his mind 

    2Reply
  • Matthew Olszak
    Real Estate Broker · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    10y

    Tonight was a good one. I have my requirements listed as flexible because its the reality, I am flexible on background/credit (no zero-tolerance policy here), but within reasonable limits. So an applicant views the unit and while filling out the application, says "Hey, I see you do a bg check". "Yea, I do, what's going to show up?"...

    [Very fast talking] Well, my place is nasty, lots of roaches, heat don't work, sink is cracked, doors don't lock.

    Ok

    So I stopped paying her rent like 3 months ago, and like a few days ago she gave me these papers about some eviction. But since 2012 I never missed rent, except for these.

    Hm

    [Repeating condition complaints] And also, my [family member] died and you know the costs of travel and helping with the funeral. I'm thinking about just paying her because I can't find a place with an eviction.

    Do you have any receipts for your previously paid rent prior to these 3 months?

    That's the thing, she didn't give us receipts. Starting this year, she had us deposit the rent into her account. You can call her and she'll confirm I was paid up until these problems.

    Ok, let me look into it and I'll give you a call tomorrow.

    Income is decent alone, plus money from one of the kid's fathers, plus she is supposedly in college, so its a long shot but maybe. Confirmed via county records that eviction was just filed, about 3 months rent amount demanded. Then I take to facebook to do a bg check...

    That, in addition to the majority of male friends throwing gang signs in their photos - no. No. I was very happy to have a woman come by about 3 hours afterward who seemed extremely responsible and well-qualified. Well established, decent job, section 8, great rental record, very respectful, the works. To go from one extreme to the other.

    7Reply
  • David O
    Investor · Detroit, MI · Member since 2012 · 119 posts · 64 votes
    10y

    Great thread. I'm going to post this in here since it is semi relevant. I had a tenant who just moved out. She was late for rent the last four months. I had to send two pay or quit notices. She wanted to break her lease and leave early, so I let her because she has been a nightmare to deal with. She paid her prorated last month rent on the day before she moved out. I replaced two washers, two dryers, and a stove in eight months. I didn't charge her a penalty for leaving early. I go to check the place out and she ripped the carpet up, didn't clean the place, pet stains all over the carpet, and hasn't paid the water in a few months. Luckily I have a security deposit what will cover all of this. Sounds fine right?

    Well, she asks me one day after leaving if she can meet me at the place to get the deposit. I say no, I'll mail a letter within the 30 day period. She then starts to harass me. She is calling me, texting me, and e-mailing me wanting to know where the deposit is. I ignore her as I already told her what's going to go on. Then she tells me she has been checking the mail. I then respond and tell her to stop checking the mail as you don't live there anymore. Then she posts on Facebook about it in a local community group that I am a member of (excellent screening tool ;)). She claims she is worried because it's been ten days and she is worried I don't have the money so I am trying to rent it out to pay her deposit back LOL. She talked about how it's probably going to have to go to court, etc, etc. People are so crazy. I sent her a very stern e-mail and she deletes the Facebook post (I didn't even tell her I saw it). I luckily haven't heard from her since and will be mailing a letter of damages right before the 30 day mark.

    2Reply
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