All Forum Posts by: Pal Sa

Looks like I am about to close my search for a tenant. So it is seasonal in my case. Nothing until Feb last week and now it is nonstop. This forum has been invaluable for me. I will do a write-up of my learnings once I am done with this.

Meanwhile, I need some tips to develop a thick skin. Even during showings and screenings, I got very taken aback by aggressive, demanding prospects. I learned to train them from day one and keep it professional and not get carried away by their angry tones. I know I should be looking for a property manager if I cant deal with such cases. But I think it is helpful to learn to be able to manage on my own for the future.

Thank you for your response. I am checking as much as possible.

For the current applicant, there is no SSN, no driver's license number, no US bank information, no US address for the office. All I have is their passport number and offer letter that has no references to the US office or US HR or anything. Shouldn't they be receiving an offer letter from the US office if they are going to work in the US?

I would like to avoid meeting my tenants in person to accept payments and me going to the bank often. I am hitting some issues while trying to meet my needs. I am considering Zelle and checks as forms of payment.

Move-in costs/first payment - deposit + one full month rent. Cashier's check and accepting in person seems to be the only option.  It exceeds Zelle's daily limits.

Zelle has daily and monthly limits.  How do people overcome this? I have seen a lot of people recommending Zelle as a great option.

I have not explored the write transfer to my account option.

I have been getting some requests to show our rental to expats. It is usually a relocation agent that seems to be helping the client find a home. In my case, all of the expats seem to be from Japan. I have not verified but that is what the agents are telling me.  I find it strange that there are so many expats looking to rent a home in this location, all of them from one country, etc. 

Is there anything I need to be aware of? They won't have a credit history in the US or anything I can verify. Have you dealt with such situations?

We are generally having a tough time finding tenants. We have listed our property a month ago. Every week, we do 5 to 10 showings. They seem excited at the showing and ask us to send an application and it does not go further.  Either their other applications get accepted or they are not interested. We used to ask for the last 3 paystubs, W2, bank statements along with the application. Now we stopped asking for those and are asking for only the last 3 pay stubs and a copy of ID along with the application.

Our house is clean, priced a little lower than comps, shows well, and has good amenities nearby. Appliances, flooring, rooms, closets, ventilation, parking, cleanliness, backyard, community, neighborhood, schools - I looked at every aspect and I can't find anything wrong. I think a few things are going on - maybe we need to make a few more changes, or we are still not in peak renting season or we are a brown family and there is some unconscious bias not in favor of us from non-brown tenants(all but one has been non-brown). In that case, I am thinking it is better to go with an agent to find the first tenant. 

I guess I wanted a place to speak out. 

I provided a valid reason thinking it will help them for future applications. I did not expect them to turn hostile. Now I know I should expect it. After I saw how they behaved, I am glad I did not accept them. I would have had a hard time handling them in the future with any of the issues. 

Do we need to provide a reason at all or just say "we are not accepting their application or we are going ahead with someone else"?

I am starting with my first rental. I have put my home on the market, doing showings. I am wondering how I can spot an aggressive person. I am looking for someone that can be nice to deal with or at least have a stake in the ground not to be rude or misbehave with me.

I just had an applicant submit an application. They paid the fees to get their reports. I reviewed and I chose not to go with them. I let them know my decision. They became very hostile and aggressive towards me after that. First, I am spending hours dealing with that person, then thinking about it. I wish I could sense it and would have asked them to not even apply. 

Do you all have any tricks on your sleeve to identify reasonable tenants? How can we identify even before they submit applications (and pay fees)? How do we communicate we do not want to accept the application? It seems to be hitting some raw nerve.