Updated 1 day ago on . Most recent reply
Screening Tenants Maintenance Matters
Tenant screening isn’t only about whether someone can pay the rent. It’s also about how they handle maintenance.
Some tenants only call when there’s a real issue. Others call for every small thing, which can turn into a lot of time and extra costs for the landlord.
When I screen tenants, I try to understand their approach to maintenance, not just their income and credit.
A couple things that help:
Asking the previous landlord how often they requested maintenance
Asking simple scenarios like: “If a light stops working, what would you do first?”
Noticing how they communicate during the application process
A tenant who pays on time and is reasonable with maintenance requests is usually the best long-term tenant.
Curious how other landlords screen for this.