When a person applies to rent an apartment from you, it is so important to take time to screen the person, to make sure you choose good tenants for all your units. As you screen each person that applies, there are three important things you should make sure you do every single time.
Verify an applicant's job and income
The only way you can tell if a person has a job and enough money to pay the rent is through an employment verification. To do this, you can contact the applicant's employer and ask several questions. One question is simply whether this person works there or not. You can also ask how long he or she has worked there and you can ask about the amount of money the person earns. Verifying this information can help you determine if this person will be able to afford living in one of your apartments.
Contact past landlords
A second task that you should do is contact the applicant's previous landlords. Talking to a past landlord can reveal a lot of information about a person, and one of the best questions to ask is whether the landlord would allow this person to rent from him or her again. The answer to this will help you know how you should handle this applicant. If the previous landlord states that he or she would lease a unit to the person again, you can know that this person must have been a great tenant. If he or she was a good tenant then, the person will probably be a good tenant to you, too.
Look up the applicant's credit and criminal history
The other step that is important to take is to look up the applicant's criminal history and credit history. A person with good credit will likely want to keep it and will pay their rent on time. A person with a criminal history might be more prone to causing problems, if you rent to him or her. The information you find, from these types of screenings, can give you a good idea as to whether you should rent to the person.
There are a lot of different screening methods you can use when you receive applications, but these are three of the most important steps to take. If you need any advice or help finding better tenants for your complex, contact a property management firm today.
Share3 July 2019
Apartment living can be a trial sometimes. Even the best apartment complexes can have problems, such as noisy neighbors. I experienced this firsthand with my newest neighbors. Between their partying and trashy existence, I was ready to go crazy. Late one night when they were being particularly noisy, I started researching my rights as a tenant. I found out I did not have to live with their inconsiderate behavior. As a public service, I decided to help others through this blog with their neighbor problems. Whether you are dealing with a landlord that will not do any repairs or bad neighbors, I can help.