All Forum Posts by: Adam Martin

I tell applicants that I am reasonable and understanding up front however before I get this application back let me know what is going to be on there.  If I found out that the story doesn't check out it will automatically be rejected.  I am not good enough to catch every lie but once I catch one I feel like there are more coming and just move on.  

In my experience they are all free.  In my market at least it is common for prospective tenants to pay for their own background check.  I have used Zillow in the past which is nice for the applicant because you can use the same report for up to 30 days without having to pay for new ones as long as the landlord accepts Zillow.  I do not as I feel their report lacks information I want to have and use Rentprep which while it cost the applicant more a few bucks isn't going to turn off an applicant and is still about average for the pm companies in my area if not slightly lower.  I do prescreen to help avoid the applicants wasting money and my time with reviewing them but I have never paid for an application and outside of government regulation never will.  

Quote from @Bob Stevens:

Quote from @Cindy B.:

We already have a BG check from Zillow, just wanted SSN on file to protect ourselves 

 HOW do you run a BG check without a SS # ?

Zillow and Rentprep are the ones I have used but I'm sure most of them are this way.  The tenant fills out their information online including their SSN for the company to run the check however as a landlord you do not get the SSN from the screening company just the background check.  I don't have the SSN from any of my tenants due to this but I do have a copy of their Drivers License number which I feel is good enough.  I'm curious though from someone who has experience needing to collect is the SSN more helpful than the Drivers License number.  From my understanding if you do have their SSN there are extra safeguards you need to keep them safe but I barely looked into it.  

I've caught plenty of raccoons and 2nd the marshmallow baited trap.  Keep in mind though that it is illegal in most locations to relocate a wild animal to avoid the spread of disease so I usually just shoot them in the trap.  For a skunk I'd probably try a conibear bucket trap also baited with marshmallows to avoid the risk of getting sprayed.  The biggest benefit to marshmallows is that you aren't going to attract family pets.  After I got the skunks which should be fairly quick I'd lay some rat traps out to get as many as I could followed by baiting.  Be careful with your baits though as you don't want your future tenants family pet to get into them.  I know some of you will see this as harsh killing them but that is the law here in KY at least and I'd assume most places as well.

I am not very lenient when it comes to screening for criminal pasts, there are just too many good renters out there.  I'll look past speeding tickets or a DUI, maybe possession if it was just weed but I have my hard no's.  No drug distribution, no evictions, no sex offenders, and possibly the most important to me is no violent crime.  I don't care if he had a gun or not that was probably one of the worst experiences for that teller they could have while on the job.  How comfortable are you going to be letting them know the rent is late or they have lease violations knowing in the past at least they had no issue threatening someone's life. I feel like this sentence should have been far closer to 40 years vs. 4.  Unless you are in a warzone where you need to lay down cover fire and he will fit right in I'd keep looking.  

Is your tenant an individual or a company.  Not a chance for an individual but I have before when I rented to an insurance relocation company.  They told me up front that I would have to and made sense to me.  It was a legit company so I felt fine with it however I would not be handing that information over to an individual.  

The same way I would in a tight market.  My standards were selected for a reason and while vacancy costs are a pain they are nowhere near as bad as selecting the wrong tenant and also not getting paid while having to pay more money to get them gone.  If you ever feel the need to waiver one of your criteria once ask yourself if this can be the new norm.  If it can there is your answer but if not stick to it.  I have had a relatively easy time with tenants but I feel a large part is how selective I am on the front end makes the back end easier.  

I’d say HVAC hands down.  It is one of the costlier repairs that is not too infrequent so you get a lot of bang for your buck.  It is also a good paying job that is in demand and not enough people getting into the field.  Nothing gets a tenant fired up like no heat or ac and they want it fixed now however there is frequently a wait if you don’t want o pay a huge premium.  You will see a lot of posts on various topics about people wanting to devote all their time to finding the next deal but this really is a game where you need to have money to make money and this is a good solid start.  If that doesn’t interest you I’d say a close second would be a painter those guys charge crazy rates and I paint frequently but do it myself.   it is too costly to pay for and I enjoy doing it.  

This would worry me and I’d remind them that I have to make my payment and rent is due.  What this tenant has told you is they live paycheck to paycheck and have no reserves.  Even if they find a job but it takes a while how are they going to be able to afford back rent plus current.  Also if they are getting laid off they should be getting unemployment so it is not like their pay is going to stop.  If the tenant has a 401k they can usually pull funds when they are no longer employed so this is an avenue you may suggest.  If none of these thing s work I’d offer to let them out of their lease penalty free but I can’t let them dig a hole they may not climb out of.  Hopefully with the current job market these are just hypothetical though and depending on their field should be able to find something soon. It is a good sign that they are proactive but I would want them to know rent comes first and there is not going to be leeway, this may motivate them to look harder and not be as picky on an offer.  

I’ve had this before and as others have said it pulls from the mls and if it is listed for sale it can’t also be for rent.  I’m assuming this is to make it harder to try to rent out vacant houses listed for sale but who knows.  Just tell your realtor to have them take it down and the problem will work itself out.  In the future I make sure the listing agent knows I intend to list same day as close and they need to deactivate asap.  Usually them waiting a couple days doesn’t matter as there is no rush but when I ask and explain they are all happy to help.