Renting to a Instagram star?

General Landlording & Rental Properties
5yFollow

Renting to a Instagram star?

Eric Malone
Member since 2019 · 35 posts · 25 votes

I’m renting out my home and had a IG influencer apply. She makes great money 4 times what rent is a month. And her W-2 reflects that. She does have one account in collections but as second position. ( was a co-signer to her mother’s loan that went into collections)

What’s the play here?

I’m thinking passing due to the collections.

But what’s the thought about the job situation? Instagram influencer, what happens when there is no more influencing.

15Reply
215 views

Most Popular Reply

Paul Smythe
Investor · Greenville, SC · Member since 2012 · 269 posts · 187 votes
5y

Too much personal opinion here about the legitimacy of being an influencer. Income is income. She sounds overqualified, don't overthink it.

26Reply
See this reply in the discussion

70 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    5y

    I guess nobody else will point out the obvious here.....

    A lot of you seem to think her job as a social media influencer is more risky than a "regular job." In a regular job it takes 1 person disliking you for your income to go away. Your boss fires you and poof no more money.

    As an influencer you would need 100,000's or millions of people to stop engaging with you for your income source to go away.

    So why exactly do all yall boomers think she's a riskier than average tenant?

    6Reply
  • Andrew FreedBusiness Member
    Investor · Worcester, MA · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    @Eric Malone - Having a personal brand and creating opportunities via social platforms is the future. She is also making great money, better than most tenants. I would ask to see her bank account to ensure she has a sufficient balance (2-3x rent) but seems like a solid tenant to me. 

    [email protected]781-964-3200Podcast Guest on Show 69 Doors from ONE Real Estate Deal Using Other People’s Money
    0Reply
  • Nickolas Quartez
    Real Estate Agent · Fort Myers FL · Member since 2019 · 20 posts · 2 votes
    5y

    @Eric Malone

    A job is a job.

    It might not be something that was a job in the past but a job is a job and she clearly shows that her entrepreneurship pays off. Just don't treat her bad once she become your tenant.

    0Reply
  • Melody R.
    Real Estate Agent · Los Angeles · Member since 2018 · 80 posts · 75 votes
    5y

    @Melody Rault had to correct my own your to you’re and does to do. Haha! :)

    0Reply
  • Julian R.
    Rental Property Investor · Ewa Beach, HI · Member since 2013 · 31 posts · 10 votes
    5y

    I would pass and get a tenant with a more traditional job especially if you can get one in the medical field

    0Reply
  • Onan Dumas
    Investor · Rowlett, TX · Member since 2013 · 132 posts · 72 votes
    5y

    @Eric Malone

    I don’t understand the issue. I’m not sure if this is a brag post or just some bait but it is a job. It’s like saying you wouldn’t hire an actor because they are a gig worker where their personal brand could be affected by something that goes wrong in public. It’s literally the same thing just with different platforms.

    I could post something really dumb here and I could get fired from my job. (It’s already happened a lot).

    So if it’s real advice you are looking for then just get the person like you would any other, if they told you they were an actor you probably wouldn’t have batted an eye.

    Good luck.

    0Reply
  • Chuks Erinne
    Rental Property Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2017 · 221 posts · 188 votes
    5y

    @Eric Malone Instagram influencer job is not going anywhere anytime soon. Im not sure what the issue is here. Perhaps over thinking?

    Whats there rental history, credit, you already confirmed income and sounds like multiple streams.

    I think you may have a winner

    0Reply
  • Ola Dantis
    Multifamily Syndicator · Houston, TX · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Sofia Sharkey:

    @Eric Malone Instagram influencers can make great money, I know a girl who makes 30K a month from that only. Those jobs are on the rise as business try to figure out more ways to reach their consumers in the virtual world.

     And here we are trying to get that property to cash flow $300 a month!!! lol 😝 

    1Reply
  • Jon Q.
    Investor · Berkeley, CA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 713 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Eric Malone:

    I’m renting out my home and had a IG influencer apply. She makes great money 4 times what rent is a month. And her W-2 reflects that. She does have one account in collections but as second position. ( was a co-signer to her mother’s loan that went into collections)

    What’s the play here?

    I’m thinking passing due to the collections.

    But what’s the thought about the job situation? Instagram influencer, what happens when there is no more influencing.

    All the info you shared... that would be “influencing” me to say “sorry, you don’t qualify.”.


    Stable, non-variable income REQUIRED.  Influencer income does t count, neither does commissions, bonuses, or any other type of non-standard non-guaranteed income.

    0Reply
  • Chinyere Orie
    Real Estate Agent · Baltimore Maryland · Member since 2019 · 98 posts · 74 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Cortney Arenstein:

    @Eric Malone Thanks for posting this. Sure opened up a healthy debate and something we will ALL have to think about from now on. I found myself flip flopping on my initial position multiple times as I read through the comments. “Wow good point!” And “Huh. Had not thought of that!” LOL. Social media influencers are not going away any time soon. It’s a growing industry. It’s marketing. Just marketing that is accessible to anyone with a phone. While I am leaning toward the “Pro” contingent, (logical arguments abound) I do think there is a reason we sometimes get a gut check like the one you are having. 100% of the times I rationalized myself into ignoring that gut check I have regretted it. One big question though—how does she have a W2 as an IG influencer? Wouldn’t she be self-employed and getting 1099s from brands that pay her to mention their products? Maybe this is just my ignorance about how IG stars are paid but I would have assumed they were bot considered “employees” by any company but their own? (Is she maybe paying herself a W2 salary from her corporation?) just curious.

     Same here!  I kept going back and forth based on the opinions posted. But I agree 100% to follow your gut.  That gut check will never steer you wrong. 

    1Reply
  • Martin NealPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2017 · 293 posts · 383 votes
    5y

    @Eric Malone for me, an influencer must show that they’ve been in their field for at least a year making 3x the monthly rent consistently. Influencer is nothing more than a marketing job so I would treat it as such.

    1Reply
  • Lynnette E.
    Rental Property Investor · TN · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    5y

    Rent to her, but make sure your place is perfect before she moves in or your house could be the buy of her jokes!

    0Reply
  • Joe Edwards
    Investor · Northern New Jersey · Member since 2020 · 94 posts · 96 votes
    5y

    @Eric Malone

    I would say get with the times. YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok influencer make more money then most college educated professionals, lawyers and doctors. If they are good at creating there content they can rent your place for $2300 month and make your rental a 50-100k a month revenue stream for themselves because they may use the location to create and produce there content.

    This conversation reminds me when I was a kid in a amateur skateboard. People would call us all kinds of names and assumed we would be losers in life. Hahaha little could have they ever imagined most of my friends today are multi millions from it and they are some of the most recognized people in the world. Just some food for thought.

    In regards to the collection issue, if she is a second and the issue is her mom I would give her a strong look if her personal debate is in good shape.

    Good luck

    0Reply
  • Stephanie F.Pro Member
    New to Real Estate · Houston · Member since 2019 · 19 posts · 15 votes
    5y

    @Eric Malone

    How does she have a W2 if she is an influencer? W2 implies she is an employee and not a self employed influencer. W2 employees are generally less risky than 1099.

    Do you have any requirements about credit collections in your prescreening? I ask because collections is collections, and I don’t care about the back story, nor do the creditors.

    Does her credit score meet the criteria?

    Does she have multiple streams of income?

    Does she have ad revenue AND product sales for example, and if she lost ad revenue, would the product sales be enough to pay rent (assuming they are not tightly tied to her name)?

    In summary, your answer should be in your criteria. If your criteria is not defined enough to cover this situation ( xTimes income, qualified # of income streams, credit score, employee status (W2/1099), employment history, employment type) , then this is a great opportunity to understand your risk tolerance and put some measurable boundaries around them.

    0Reply
  • Stephanie F.Pro Member
    New to Real Estate · Houston · Member since 2019 · 19 posts · 15 votes
    5y

    @Eric Malone

    I see these comments/suggestions, and my personal opinion is that requiring an influencer to post for your business (as a lease requirement) is risky and unprofessional.

    Unprofessional:

    Would you put into a rental agreement that a Doctor should give you X free checkups or surgeries since they rented from you? I hope not.

    Would you require a real estate agent to represent you and then forgo part or all of their commissions because they were your tenant? Not unless you reduced rent by their commissions.

    Requiring your tenant to give your free or reduced services in their profession without reduced rent is classless and looks terrible for you and your business. I would take great offense to a landlord asking for my time for free as a requirement in my lease. I came to you for a place to stay, and now your are asking for free services? Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Danger!

    Risky:

    The moment you enter into business publicly with a public personality, you are associating yourself and business with them. This relationship now becomes a documented and well known part of your business. Do you want to take on this risk?

    Would a public and viral post about your business/rentals bring you enough business to justify the risks? If someone assaulted your tenant because you “forced” them to post about your business or your properties, would you be held liable for damages? If the tenant caused some attention, do you want to be calling the cops to get rioters/ stalkers/photographers off your property ? Would other tenants be able to

    hold you liable for damages because you put their home in the spotlight?

    You need to understand what that would mean for your business. If anything, I would require the influencer NEVER divulge your business information (your name, business name, nor the address she is renting) unless it’s for legal transactions and never publicly (unless required by law)

    Sincerely,

    Risk Mitigation Stephanie

    1Reply
  • Cody Benedetto
    Member since 2021 · 67 posts · 52 votes
    5y

    I'd go with your gut. One less thing to worry about. 

    0Reply
  • Eric Malone
    OP
    Member since 2019 · 35 posts · 25 votes
    5y

    @Stephanie F. Thank you for that. Overall I’m just looking for a good tenant. I really don’t care about what they do for a living as long as they can pay the bills. You are right I don’t feel comfortable nor would I want them to Represent my business for exactly your points. I just wasn’t to sure how a influencer gets paid and how steady the income is. So thank you for your feedback.

    0Reply
  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    5y

    @Eric Malone my main question would be is this a valid W-2 because I would not expect a W-2 for the stated job.  Second is what she is influencing going to impact your property. That is no different then any other business. For example I don't allow home businesses with visiting clients in my properties.

    @Brandon Sturgill "We have been leaning toward folks with a voucher and/or secondary source of income...SSI/SSDI. People with jobs are volatile." what a lousy world we live in where the productive members of society become second class to the state supported. There are people still working who aren't social influencers whose jobs aren't going away any time soon. Just saying.

    1Reply
  • Brandon SturgillBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · Columbus, OH · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    I hear you @Colleen F. we've spent a lot of time building relationships with the metro housing authorities...we'll still place private pay folks, but since COVID-19 we get 100+ inquiries for each vacancy...and 50% of those are private pay folks facing an eviction and scrambling to find a unit where the landlord does not screen like they should....once they are in the door all they have to pay is utilities and they are good to go for a while...

    937-979-7000
    Realize Multifamily Group11 Review
    View Page
    0Reply
  • Halei Agra
    Investor · Shizuoka Japan · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 4 votes
    5y

    In the end, it is your property. So if you feel confident in the person’s ability to pay rent, go for it! I am a freelance graphic designer, and I would hope to have someone understanding as a landlord. There are so many ways to make money online. It gives you the freedom and more opportunities to grow financially. Side hustles and online businesses are increasing & have proven to be profitable.

    0Reply
Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.
Log InJoin for Free