Screening Tenants is very important if you want to ensure that only quality tenants are living on your property. Unfortunately, many landlords and property managers end up with bad tenants even after screening tenants. When this happens, it means you have done a poor job with your tenant screening. Los Angeles has been noticed for conducting screening tests and credit checks which is good, but most landlords and property managers do skip this vital step in acquiring a new tenant.
When you are screening tenants, there are some signs you should look out for. These signs are usually red flags that the tenant you are screening may not be the right fit for your property. In this article, you will learn of some warning signs to look out for when screening tenants.
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They Insist On No Background and Credit Check
Background check as well as credit check is very important if you want to work with only high quality tenants. A tenant who is reluctant to allow a background check definitely has something to hide. Someone with a criminal or eviction record naturally won’t be happy with a background check. In the similar way, someone that is in debt will also like to stay away from credit check. Once a tenant is reluctant to allow a background or credit check, you should be wary of such tenant.
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They Are Not Earning Enough Income
You certainly don’t want a tenant who cannot afford to pay his rent. To ensure that a tenant can afford to pay your rent, you need him to show you a proof of his income. If a tenant is reluctant to show proof of income or you found out that he is not making enough income, you should be wary of such a tenant.
Go ahead and verify the proof of income submitted by such a tenant. You can even call his employer to verify that the information submitted is accurate.
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They Are Being Too Nice
Being nice isn’t a bad thing, but when it is done too much, it may mean that someone is trying to cover something up. Some people with bad rental history and other problems can make a nice first impression. Such persons will simply put on their best behavior during an interview in order to impress you and get you to overlook certain things and give them your rental property.
Don’t take someone by their word because they are nice, you will need to use other screening methods to found out if they are trying to cover something up.
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Incomplete Application
When you are screen tenants, you need to ensure they have a complete application. A complete application should at least have job history, rental history, and references. When someone has an incomplete application, it may be because he is trying to cover something up. You can call the attention of a tenant that has incomplete application or go ahead and deny such a tenant.
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They Insist on Paying Move-In Costs in Installments
Your potential tenant could have problem paying rent in future if he is insisting that he wants to pay his security deposits in installments. If you have a tenant who refuses to pay his full security deposits but wants to pay in installment, you should consider this as a signal that such a tenant cannot be able to pay his rent on time in future. In such a case, move on to the next tenant.
Final Thought
Screening tenants properly is the only way to ensure that you have quality tenants on your rental property. You must watch out for these warning signs mentioned above. However, if you are just getting started, you can always use the services of Los Angeles Property Management Group.
