Tenant Screening Help

Four ways to manage your house from a distance.

The latest technology makes it easier than ever to rent your house out from anywhere in the world.

When choosing a new tenant, it can be difficult to navigate the information overload that confronts you. You must analyze each tenant's work history, references, number of occupants, and the like. Here are five red flags that can act as shortcuts, and weed out some potentially problematic renters. While these aren’t 100 percent accurate all of the time, they will save you from headaches most of the time! If your prospect does any of these things, take a step back and ask yourself, is it worth the risk?

Traditionally when a renter moves into a new apartment the landlord requires a security deposit (usually equal to one month’s rent) to pay for any damages that may occur. Coming up with a security deposit and the first month’s rent all at once may be difficult for some people, so tenants maytry to pay in increments or negotiate a lower security deposit. While you may feel sympathy for their struggle, it’s imperative to get some form of collateral from them to give you peace of mind, and assist you in case of any damage to your property. With that being said, the “security deposit” doesn’t have to be fixed at one month’s rent or even be a security deposit at all. In fact sometimes a security deposit is the wrong move!

What happens if someone slips on a snowy or icy walk at your rental property, and then sues for injuries? It depends on who was found to be negligent.

Every state designates who is responsible for repairing natural disaster damage. If you live in an area where hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters typically occur, it’s important to note that in your lease.

A really nice tenant applied for your rental, but you’re on the fence. You like this person; in fact, you and this applicant have mutual friends and they vouched for the applicant’s warmth, courtesy and friendliness. The personal references checked out, you confirmed employment, and you reviewed recent paystubs. But this applicant has had financial problems. Serious problems. Bankruptcy, a low credit score and even a prior eviction came up on the background check you ordered. The applicant was completely straightforward about the past, telling you in advance about an unfortunate divorce, a lengthy illness, and other unexpected setbacks that would appear on the background check.

Achieving success as a landlord does not happen overnight. It requires investing in the right properties and tenants, among other things, which can feel overwhelming at first. However, if you play your cards right, you will build a cash-flowing portfolio that makes you the most money with the least headaches. The first step, of course, is to secure a property before screening tenants. Here’s what you need to know about where to best invest your capital:

Having the correct lease is crucial to protect your investment. How comprehensive is yours?

Competition for college-student tenants is so fierce in some communities that landlords and property managers have perfected the practice of offering “lease swag,” or perquisites for students who sign rental leases. From offers of a free month's rent, to gifts like flat-screen TVs, to free shuttle rides to campus, swag is limited only by a landlord's creativity. A landlord in one small Pennsylvania town that hosts a state university offers Beats wireless headphones – worth $500 – to all students who sign a lease agreement 18 months in advance of moving in.

Showing your rentals can be a hassle, let our tips help you make the best of your time.

A simple but vital part of tenant screening is your first conversation with your tenant. Always use a phone conversation as your first step in a great tenant screening.

Landlord tips on finding your best tenant! Look no further than our featured videos and helpful tips.

The perfect tenant rarely just appears on your doorstep the day you're ready to start leasing your rental property. Typically, it takes some work to find the right person, or people. But, there are established steps that can smooth the process and remove some of the mystery involved in sussing out a good applicant. Applicants will find your rental through word of mouth, an open house, or an ad or online listing. Have a process ready for gathering their contact information. Dated sign-in sheets requesting a name, email address and phone number are perfect for an open house. It's also a good idea to start a file, and then make an entry with a date, name, email address and number each time a potential tenant calls.

Applicants for your rental property completed their forms, agreed to a background checked and showed you recent pay stubs to verify their income. You've met with them and have a good feeling in your gut. It's decision time, right? Well, not quite. You have a few more questions to ask before you should sign a lease with these applicants. But the answers are only a phone call away. Obtain your applicant's permission, and then reach out to current and former landlords and interview them. These people have, or had, a relationship with your applicant. Ask if the tenant pays or paid rent on time. Ask if they took care of the unit during their time there. Ask whether neighbors ever complained about the tenant.

Kevin Williams* picked up the phone and heard his rattled tenant say that there were flies in his apartment. Kevin said he'd be there soon. He swung by the hardware store for some bug spray and met his tenant at the unit. Kevin could have rolled his eyes and told his tenant to calm down. He could have told the tenant to buy some insect repellant and send a receipt with his next rent check. But he didn't. Instead, Kevin did what he's done since he bought his first investment property in Illinois nearly 30 years ago. He showed that he cared about his tenant and was committed to first-rate maintenance. Kevin knows that such thoughtfulness will be returned, enhancing his investments.

Technology has cut overhead and shifted record-keeping from piles of paper to management software, lease form automation and cloud-based storage. Understanding and making the most of these new tools will allow you to delegate some of the many tasks on your landlord to-do list.

The landlord's lease with his tenant – we'll call him Mr. Nice Tenant - is up for renewal. Mr. Tenant has been in the unit for a year, never causes problems, pays his rent one full year in advance, and wants to know if it's okay to have his girlfriend move in with him. If you were the landlord, what would you say to Mr. Tenant? A. Absolutely. It's my way of thanking you for being a great tenant. B. No, I don't want to mess up a good arrangement. C. Yes, but I'll have to raise the rent and your girlfriend will need to sign the new lease.

You've heard it before: Property is wealth. But is it? You're thinking of becoming an investor in rental properties but wondering if it's right for you. Why not check out the research that savvy investors have already done and find out once and for all if it makes fiscal sense to get into rentals?

How many times have you filled in application forms without a thought to all the probing questions you're answering? You hand over all your credit information at the bank, your doctor gets all your health data, and don't get us started on the details you divulge when you adopt a rescue pet.

Commercial properties have not fared as well as residential in the last few years, but a creative approach can help landlords capitalize on recent market gains.

Fair Housing lawsuits against landlords and property managers are surprisingly common; here's how to avoid being targeted next by HUD and disgruntled renters.

The Supreme Court ruled that landlords can be sued for Fair Housing violations regardless of intention, based on the disparate impact rule.

Want to fill your vacant rental units faster, with higher quality tenants? Perfect that rental listing, and the suitors will line up for it.

Increasing numbers of foreigners are visiting the US to give birth for the citizenship rights, but authorities are cracking down.

With homeownership rates down, today's renters are more diverse than ever... here are the rental trends that landlords should know.

Immigrants and foreign nationals can make great tenants, but they are also harder to screen; here's what you need to know about screening.

Thousands of landlords fall victim to real estate scams every year, from tenant scams to contractor fraud; here's how to protect yourself.

Military service members can make excellent tenants, if you actively market to them and understand their unique circumstances.

Tenant background screening and checks can be time consuming and they do carry a fee, but a little prevention really does avoid costly problems later.

Landlords and property managers can more effectively lease to military members if they understand their needs and the military move process.

Showing vacant rental properties alone to strangers is inherently risky, but landlords can protect themselves with a few safety precautions.

Lisa Klinkhammer explains how her landlording experience shaped her into a staunch advocate of leasing to military families.

Virtual reality tours of real estate combined with interactive features, could revolutionize the way people initially browse rental listings.

Subtle things can cause big changes in the way prospective renters perceive your rental property, so here are some tricks to reel them in.

Today's younger renters in Generation Y or the millennial generation want different things than their parents; are you appealing to them?

Federal and state regulators are cracking down on Fair Housing violations, which have grown subtle, complex and often misunderstood.

Learning to price rental properties is both an art and a science, requiring a keen understanding of both the area and the tenant population.

There are many shady tenants in this world, who will mislead you on their rental application. Here is a quick guide to common lies, and how to spot them.

The Internet is fertile ground for scam artists, and places where strangers come together for rental and other financial transactions is particularly tempting for them.

Aggressive tenant screening will prevent the overwhelming majority of landlord headaches. Remember the old proverb about an ounce of prevention?

No landlord wants to feel responsible for acts of violence committed by tenants they failed to screen properly - learn about the expanding role of terrorist checks in tenant screening.

Covington, Kentucky is experimenting with a unique but simple approach to helping landlords screen tenants, to slash vacancies and defaults.

Tenants with low income or poor credit often enlist a lease cosigner; here are frequently asked questions about accepting a guarantor for your rental agreement.

Conventional wisdom is to inquire with prospective tenants' current or prior landlords, but are they always reliable sources of information?

In cities around the country, convicted felons are now considered a protected class who cannot be denied for a rental property based on their criminal status.

From lawsuits to unpaid rent to destroying your property, bad tenants are a landlord's worst nightmare, often dragging out the eviction process indefinitely.

The Fair Housing Act may seem simple, but it has grown increasingly complex since it was enacted in 1968; here's an intro for landlords.

Keeping In Compliance WIth the Fair Housing Rules