Make Your Screening Process Easier With These Tips

Enhancing your skill and exposure in the tenant screening process is the most worthwhile investment that you should make as a landlord. A good screening process can save you a great deal of liabilities and loss.

Before you involve a prospective tenant in other stages of the screening process, you can pre-qualify or disqualify a tenant even before meeting them. This can be achieved by first getting some important information from them by phone or email, which can save you time, energy and money. The info that you should quickly get from this stage includes:

· The potential client’s reasons for moving

This is an important question to ask upfront to ensure that the potential client is not moving into your property as a means of escape from unsettled disagreements with their previous landlord or hiding from law enforcers. If the prospective client confidently states a valid reason like needing a bigger space for the family or change of jobs, then they may be a good bet.

· The plan to move in

The client’s plan on when to move can be a good indicator about whether he or she is a responsible person. A good response would be in around 30 days, since this is the usual notice period given to vacate a property. Be wary of tenants who are in a hurry to move like in a week’s time. They could be running away from something. You should also not give priority to tenants who communicate way before time like three months prior. With such clients, high chances are that they are in a wide house-shopping spree and you may end up booking for someone who will turn down your offer when it gets closer to the agreed date.

· The client’s monthly income

You should not shy off from asking this question upfront as this can prove whether the tenant is in a good position to pay the rent. You can verify their answer from their credit records when you do your rental background check. The client’s honesty in this matter is a good indication that they are of good character and can be trusted.

· References from the former landlord

A tenant who hesitates in giving the contact of their previous landlord is a red light for an unsettled case. Tenants that have not cleared with their previous landlords will most probably cause the same headaches to you.

· Previous eviction information

You should not only get the prospective clients’ eviction records from the rental history search, but also asking this question upfront can give the tenant a chance to explain their story in case they faced eviction in the past. This way, you will avoid practicing unfair judgment on a good prospective tenant who may have been hit by the usual unavoidable circumstances of life in the past.

· Willingness to go through the screening process.

You should immediately dismiss those that are hesitant to undergo screening. This is a major red flag about them and for you as a landlord, since you are required to abide by the Fair Housing Laws before you give consent to a tenant application.

Follow these simple steps to make your screening process simpler and faster as you pick out the ideal candidate to occupy your valued property.