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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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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  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    Today's contribution, Part 2, for our rental in Ft. Lauderdale:

    Just finished a call with a guy and his girlfriend....in PA.

    They asked about the security deposit, and when I asked if they had jobs in FL, the guy said no. He said money is no object, though, he's been saving since his teens.

    Doesn't want to be tied to a job yet until he finds one he really likes - as a personal trainer. They want to find a place to live first. I didn't laugh out loud, just said that we don't rent to people who are unemployed, but thank you for calling.

    Maybe it's the 8" of snow in this area that made them think about moving to Florida in the last 5 minutes.

    0Reply
  • Gerald K.
    Real Estate Investor · Kirkland, WA · Member since 2012 · 480 posts · 116 votes
    12y
    Originally posted by @Aly W.:
    Today's contribution, Part 2, for our rental in Ft. Lauderdale:
    Just finished a call with a guy and his girlfriend....in PA.

    They asked about the security deposit, and when I asked if they had jobs in FL, the guy said no. He said money is no object, though, he's been saving since his teens.

    Doesn't want to be tied to a job yet until he finds one he really likes - as a personal trainer. They want to find a place to live first. I didn't laugh out loud, just said that we don't rent to people who are unemployed, but thank you for calling.

    Maybe it's the 8" of snow in this area that made them think about moving to Florida in the last 5 minutes.

    lol.. Money is no object? OK, but you prefer to rent and go through all these questions.. Hmmm OK, how about you pay a year in advance and we just collect another year each time we renew? And since money is no object, we'll collect 6x the rental amount for the security deposit... How does that work Mr. Money-is-no-Object?

    3Reply
  • Brandon Rodriguez
    Investor · Diamond Bar, CA · Member since 2013 · 60 posts · 28 votes
    12y
    Sorry for the "unprofessionalism" but AHAHAHAHAHHAHABA
    0Reply
  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    You're right @Gerald K., I should have just told him where to deposit the cash for the year and then mailed him the keys :)

    0Reply
  • Vanessa Brown
    Residential Real Estate Broker · Washington, Washington D.C. · Member since 2014 · 44 posts · 37 votes
    12y

    Hilarious! These are all the reasons I decided to invest more and agent less. Can you imagine looking down the road and knowing you were going to have to deal with this kind of stuff day in and day out for 25-30 more years. We ran our buy and holds as vacation rentals for years. You think tenants are nuts...these people go on vacation and take the show on the road, lol. I needed these today.

    9Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    12y
    Originally posted by @George P.:
    "service snake"... lol

    I know a guy who's phone looses reception after he hears something like that on the other end........strange.......really strange.

    5Reply
  • Marc RamsayPro Member
    Investor · Ojochal, Costa Rica · Member since 2013 · 288 posts · 164 votes
    12y

    I used to have a 7 foot Boa Constrictor. Best mouser you coud ask for. Definitely classify it as a 'Service Snake'.

    2Reply
  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y
    Originally posted by @Vanessa Brown:
    You think tenants are nuts...these people go on vacation and take the show on the road, lol. I needed these today.

    Take the show on the road....that's hilarious too!

    1Reply
  • Japheth Grimm
    Real Estate Investor · Webster, TX · Member since 2013 · 33 posts · 22 votes
    12y

    Here's a fun one. I was showing a house I had for lease when the guy attempted to use the gas stove to light a cigarette. His excuse was that he was "seeing if the gas line worked." I told him to get out of my house asap.

    4Reply
  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    We have a 2/2 condo in Florida available. Today's tenant phone calls:


    2 young girls, each has 2 jobs, one in school, one small dog. Want to see the condo. I ask specifically if they have the security deposit before making the appointment, as my tenant is showing the unit. Yes, no problem. Tenant says they can come at 3:30. At 3:45, they're not there, so I call them. They say they'll be there in 5 minutes. I hang up, and they call back in one minute, saying they realize they don't have the security deposit after all. I'm sure they never left home.

    Another call - can you tell me how much the rent is? Me: $1100, it's in the ad. It's in Davie, right? Me: No, Sunrise, it's in the ad. Ok...what do I need to move in? Me: It's in the ad. Him: Well, I wrote down a lot of numbers last night and don't remember which ones I saw. Me: Well, I'm working now, so you'll have to find the ad again. Ok, thanks.

    Another call - This is the apartment in Plantation, right? Me: No, it's the condo in Sunrise. How much to move in? Me: $1800 plus the first month's rent, it's in the ad. OK, what else? Me: It's all in the ad. Ok, I'll read the ad and call back.

    And another - I'm calling about the condo, it's $1100 a month right? Me: Right. We're looking for something for my grandmother, sister and myself for March 31st. Me: This one is available on the 1st. We'll have another unit available mid-March for $1200. Well, we can only afford $1000, do you have anything for that? Me: No, you might want to look for $1000 rentals.

    Shoot me now....

    5Reply
  • George P.
    Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    lol

    0Reply
  • Siye Baker
    Investor · Tallahassee, FL · Member since 2014 · 246 posts · 89 votes
    12y

    Good Stuff!

    0Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    12y

    Tip of the day.........advertise on Postlets. It's free & has way less idiots then craigslist.

    10Reply
  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    I use Postlets too, it syndicates to different sites. But the majority of renters come from Craigslist.

    1Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    12y

    I used to do only Craigslist then I heard about postlets from bigger pockets (shout out @Joshua D. ) Now I get the majority of them from zilliow ads Via the postlet ad.

    You don't receive as many calls as craigslist ads but If I post a craigslist ad I'll get 10 calls same day. 9 will be from idiots who didn't read the ad. I'll Prolly get 5 from zilliow but 4 will be good candidates.

    3Reply
  • Tim Hoffman
    Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2013 · 63 posts · 41 votes
    12y

    I pre screen callers before I let them see the house and waste my and their time. During these calls you get all kinds of stuff....

    When asked how long they had been on their job and how much they made per pay period they replied, "That is none of your business!"

    When a prospective tenant called about a 2 BR home I had available, I asked whey they were moving. They replied they needed more space. When further questioned where they lived and how long they had been there they said they lived in a 4 BR house for the past 6 months. When I told them they were calling about a 2 BR they said that is ok, they needed something fast because they had court later that week and would not be able to stay at their current place.

    A prospective tenant said he had move to the area from out of town about 4 months ago. I asked what brought him to town. He said he moved to be closer to his girlfriend, (there was a woman with him). I asked her how long they had been together and where she lived. She quickly responded that she was not the girlfriend he moved for and they "met in a bar about 3 months ago and the rest is history". I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing in her face.

    Love the post. Keep it going.

    2Reply
  • Deborah BurianPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Oklahoma City, OK · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 412 votes
    12y

    My most recent 'fave'... What's the deposit? Me, $350.00. Candidate - "WHAT? I thought it was $20.00." Me - Nope, $20 wouldn't protect me from many damages, would it? Tenant - "for that I should get a two bed!" Me - good luck to you.

    4Reply
  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y
    Originally posted by @Tim Hoffman:
    I pre screen callers before I let them see the house and waste my and their time. During these calls you get all kinds of stuff....

    When asked how long they had been on their job and how much they made per pay period they replied, "That is none of your business!"


    That's awesome! I wouldn't be able to stop laughing.

    0Reply
  • Gail K.
    Augusta, GA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    My son was showing one of our smaller 3/1 houses and mentioned the attic was partially floored for storage. Woman asked if it was OK to put a bed up there so grandma could sleep in the attic.

    6Reply
  • Curt Smith
    Rental Property Investor · Clarkston, GA · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    These applicant stories are funny alright!!! Thanks alot, because they are completely foreign to me re our 10 SFR and 3 rent to own portfolio. We don't have any such story, not even a tinny one! Why? Well to live on the boring side of landlording there are a few tricks.

    1) Only buy rental properties in great schools 5 or better. The higher the number the more boring your landlord and repair job will be. To be honest I'm bored silly! My tenants even fix stuff, GAK all my fun being taken from me!

    2) Fix the property nice to start with, laminent floors, new bathrooms nice rehab on kitchens. We spray enamel white on old cabinents and nickle hardware. Now we've switched to HD Behr ultra pure white primer included enamel. (the enamel is incredible paint no odder).

    3) Put the high school name and great school rating in the subject of your rental ad.

    4) Select applicants with 2 incomes, where each can cover the rent on their own. With middle school kids who want to stay through high school.

    With 10 rentals we have 1 turn over in the whole bunch every other year.

    5) use electronic rent payment system to mail free collect rent. I use erentpayment.com. There's others that are cheaper. Man! no opening envelopes either.

    You might think that you have to pay too much for a rental to have no problems like the stories in this thread. I disagree. Just checking the spread sheet, our properties cap rate at 13% to 19% like the folks who work the good stories "hood". Like any desirable goal, a landlord has to first set the goal to have no problems from a rental before you can expect that to happen. Your locale probably has pockets of cheaper houses in good school districts. Look for these areas... (another thread).

    It would be a good thread or blog on how to be bored silly as a landlord. :)

    22Reply
  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    We have 2 rental units available now, in a good area. A recent call:

    Tenant: "Is you the owner?

    Me: Yes

    Tenant: I need to move fast

    Me: Why?

    Tenant: I live with my mother and want my own place.

    Me: Are you working?

    Tenant: Yes, at a private hospital.

    Me: Do you have a rental history?

    Tenant: No, I've only lived with my mother, I'm 20! (and has a 3 year old)

    Me: Sorry, I don't rent to anyone without a rental history.

    1Reply
  • George P.
    Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    a tenant moved in 1 month ago. she has a yapper. her rent is 950+25 for the dog.

    she texts today (like to text 5-6 messages at a time) and says "my little companion is hardly a dog. why do i have to pay the additional $25".

    0Reply
  • Jesse StephensonPro Member
    Property Manager · Chapin, SC · Member since 2014 · 71 posts · 43 votes
    12y
    Originally posted by @Rob K.:
    Originally posted by Michaela Graham:
    And then there was the potential tenant that called at 10pm and I didn't answer the phone - was a New Orleans area code in Atlanta, so it stuck out. Called back at 11pm, still didn't answer. Called back at midnight and left a slurred message about wanting to rent one of my houses.
    Heck, if they start of that inconsiderate there's no way they'll get better. Of course I didn't call him back.

    He called me every night for the next few nights, messages were getting progressively angrier.

    I'm glad I decided to turn off my phone for a few nights, after the 2nd night.....

    Or there are the people that call at 7am. Do they really think that this is the way to give a good impression?

    I have a cell phone that I use for my business and set it to silent when I'm done for the day. It amazes me how many of these people will call at 1 or 2 in the morning. As if someone is going to pick up the phone and answer all of their stupid questions at that time. I always call the people back when I wake up at 6 or 6:30. It's fun to act aloof and say that I see I missed your call "a little while ago". Sometimes they will get all angry and say they were sleeping and I woke them up. I usually play dumb and ask if they were taking a nap. Sometimes I will say it's time to get up and go to work.

    This is why you see so many ads on CL stating not to call after a certain hour. Some people just have no common sense and think they can call about something at 3am. They must think everyone else is nocturnal like they are.

    In their defense I think that they think they are calling a business after hours and will get a recording that they can leave a message on. My mother who has 3 degrees and is usually very considerate said she might have done the same thing if she thought she was calling a business, not a personal cell phone.

    6Reply
  • Kimberly T.
    Investor · Colorado Springs CO · Member since 2014 · 535 posts · 253 votes
    12y

    This thread is priceless!

    We've had a fair amount of the typical ones, can't think of any stand-outs off the top of my head.

    My parents (who have been landlords since before I was born) got so tired of hearing "Is the rent negotiable?" that my father now always answers with "Well, you can pay more if you want."

    20Reply
  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    12y

    @Kimberly T. , your father is right on! I've had few tenants ask why the rent is so cheap (seriously??), and that's what I say to them too.

    Someone called yesterday, wanting to know when she could see the condo we have for rent. I always ask questions first to pre-screen, and the caller said "it's not for me, it's for a friend". I asked why the friend isn't calling, and she said he works nights, so when can she see it for him? I told her I only deal with the actual tenant.

    This isn't the first time I've gotten this kind of call, has anyone else?

    0Reply
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