All Forum Posts by: Michelle Calicchio

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

I did call the city police department who did a background check on the address to see if there had been any neighbor complaints about the dogs and there had not been.

I will go to the PD today to do a criminal check - apparently this can be done instantly. I had no idea so again, thank you for the suggestion!

I am having a really hard time finding out information about legal fees/deposits in Arizona. I have scoured the AZ Landlord Tenant act and the only thing I'm finding is that fees/deposits can not exceed 1.5 times the rent and that security deposits must be refunded within 14 days. Also, it says you must specify what fees are refundable vs non refundable. Other than that - I can't find anything.

We advertised our rental on craigslist, hotpads.com, google, mls and a sign in the yard. We got one drive by call, one MLS showing and probably 4-5 calls a week from craigslist.

First, I apologize in advance for the newbie question. We are working on renting out our first investment home and I have a tenant who is interested in the house. This is my first time through the screening process and I'm I'm hoping someone can take a look at this and see if I'm missing something.

Tenant is married with three children and two St. Bernards. The rental property is large with a large backyard and we said pets were ok. Perspective tenants understand concerns about dogs and have invited us over to their house to see that dogs haven't done any damage.

Both tenant and wife are employed - tenant at same job over 5 years, wife, 2 years - employment has been verified with adequate income for rental.

Credit history and eviction check have been run. No prior eviction history. Bankruptcy filed in 2004. Credit since then is mostly OK except for a few 30 day late payments. Most all accounts have been closed with the exception of a car loan and a credit card.

Because of the two St. Bernards, I'm planning on letting the tenants know that the pet deposit and cleaning deposit will be non refundable. They even stated at the time of application that they would be willing to make these deposits non refundable since they know that they are more of a risk with the credit history and the dogs.

They also stated they are willing to set up direct deposit into our account for the monthly rent.

Tenants are polite, call when they say they will, show up for appointments when they say they will, paid application fee with no hesitation - while I realize this isn't really a screening method - judging from how many no shows, rude people and people who balked at application fees, it is a pleasant surprise to deal with someone well, pleasant.

Am I missing anything obvious in the screening process? Does anything stand out that I need to investigate further?

Again, I appreciate your help. This is our first rental and it's been an amazing learning process.

Thank you so much for your very informative reply! I appreciate your taking the time to answer so thoroughly.

Can I ask if there is a difference between a "full" credit check and just a credit check? As I mentioned previously, I'm registered through mrlandlord to do credit checks but it doesn't specify if it's a full credit report - I'm not sure what the difference would be?

Also, is there a better or more comprehensive site out there for doing checks?

Thanks so much!

I have a perspective tenant who looks good on paper. He's already revealed a past bankruptcy and explained how it came about (his employer was located in the WTC and when it went down, the business folded. He tried to find another job but the economy in NYC was devastated. He moved his family to AZ but debts followed. He filed bankruptcy a few years ago. But, they currently own their own home and he has a good, steady job. Wife has a steady job as well - both over 3 years. They are selling their house due to high interest rate because of poor credit and downsizing in hopes of rebuilding credit and eventually buying again).

Work checks out for both of them.

So, how far do you go in doing background checks? I am registered through mrlandlord to do background checks and they offer several options. I think i just need to do a credit check and eviction history? But, the eviction history is going to be for Arizona and I already know they've only been here 3 years and owned their home here - never rented - and prior to that, lived in NYC.

Hi!
Thank you for the welcome!

I should have been more clear - This particular tenant gave a holding fee and the application fee on Sunday and then canceled the check first thing Monday morning. The holding fee and application fee were on one check.

The lesson I learned from that experience is to collect the application fee separately in certified funds (or cash). Then, if the tenant wants to put down a holding fee, that will need to be in certified funds along with any deposits once a tenant has been selected.

Sorry I wasn't clear :)

Hi all! Newby here from Mesa, AZ. My husband and I just bought our first "official" investment property. We've had a bit of experience in the past with rental houses but this is our first real investment property.

We got a great deal on a brand new house but it's in Queen Creek. For those not familiar with the area, it's an eastern suburb of the metro Phoenix area. It was white hot during the big boom a couple years ago but prices dramatically fell and we got it for well below comps.

But, our challenge now is to get it rented. Not impossible but certainly more difficult given its location.

We've been advertising on craigslist, hot pads and google and have gotten a few calls a week.

We actually had someone put deposits down on Sunday only to change her mind on Monday and put a stop payment on the check - including the application fee :roll:

It's been a great learning experience and I now know to only accept application fees, security deposits and first month's rent in certified funds/cash only.

Anyway, once we get this one rented, we're considering a duplex or 4 plex and have started looking.

So, that's us in a nutshell :)

I look forward to getting to know you all!