Landlord Question and Answer Forum

Our rental application asks for two personal references. We have a potential good tenant; however, she did not list personal references. She is retired and income is solely from Social Security and investments. I would like to check character references, but before I call and ask, I want to be prepared to give her some "ideas" of who she might list. I can only think of, perhaps, contractors or realtors she's done business with? Any suggestions on how other landlords handle due diligence when renting to retirees would be helpful. Thank you.

What about a previous landlord? Even though she is retired, she should/could have previous references from previous jobs.

Posted by Irene S, KY on Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Thanks for responding, Irene. I did think about that; however, she's been a homeowner for 30+ years. My only real concern was finding someone who could let me know how she is to deal with on a personal level...meaning, am I going to hear from her every other day with a "problem"? Will the kids in the neighborhood "drive her crazy"?--things like that. I imagine it's difficult to make a transition from homeowner to tenant at age 73, and little things could become issues with certain personality types. Her credit rating is what we wish every tenant's credit would be like, so that, obviously, speaks to her character, so we shall see :-)

Posted by Phil R, PA on Tuesday, August 19, 2014