If you’re a landlord, it’s important to screen your tenants before renting a piece of property so that you have someone in your home who will take care of it and who will make rental payments on time. You can set your screening requirements to any level that you want. You don’t want to be too harsh because it could mean that your property sits empty for a long time, but you shouldn’t let just anyone move into the property without talking to the tenant and finding out a little about the person’s lifestyle.
If you don’t have the time to put into finding a tenant that is suitable or you aren’t sure what to ask or how to perform the search, then a tenant screening agency can help. You can give the agency a general idea as to what type of tenant you want and who you might not want in your home. These details will then be compiled to create a list of questions to ask tenants, or you can give the names of prospective tenants to the agency so that the work is left to the people who operate the system.
A rental application is a necessity for tenants. You can use the information that is disclosed to get more information if it’s needed. Make sure you ask the pertinent questions so that you get the information that you need about all of the people in the home, such as income and whether the person has pets or not. One of the things that you have to do as a landlord is to follow the rules and regulations of the FHA. These regulations ensure that you aren’t denying access to renting a property based on someone’s race, religion, or other aspects about their life.
Once you have decided about who you want in your home, you need to get the tenant’s identification as well as the proper paperwork to show proof of income and other details before the tenant moves into the house. Keep a copy of the identification with the application for easy reference. Although a background check isn’t a requirement, it’s a good idea to perform one so that you can see if there are any issues with drugs or alcohol and how the person’s credit seems to be so that you can adjust the amount of rent or the security deposit if needed.
Try to find out who the person rented from in the past. There are some issues that a previous landlord might not report, but you can often find out how the person acted in the home or if the person gave any kind of problem while renting. Get references from people who know about the character of the tenant. You want someone in your home who won’t have people visiting in the middle of the night and someone who doesn’t party all the time. Talk to the family as a whole so that you can meet any children the tenant has as well as other adults who might be in the home as well.