A.D. Cantelmo Property Management
Our Business is Property Management in Orange County California
?
The Dos and Don’ts of Tenant Screening
Tenant screening is one of the most
important jobs a Property Manager has and there are some important dos and don’ts
to consider.
I was reading an article from my
management software company Rentec Direct and I thought that these points they
make are very important.
The first “DO” is, always make sure
that each applicant fill out their own application. Everyone over 18 should
fill out an application; you want to know who is going to live in your rental
property.
The first “DON’T” is, don’t rely on a
hand shake. Now you would think that no one these days will rely on a hand
shake, but believe me, some Landlords still do.
The second “DO” is, get approval from
every applicant to run a credit and background check. Now since most applicants are required to pay for the Credit and Background checks, this is rarely a problem and the next “DON’T is,
never do a background check without approval from the potential Tenant.
The third “DO” is always have the
same legal criteria for screening all applicants. Being fair to all Applicants is very important. You should never have one criteria for some applicants and another criteria for others and the next “DON’T” is Never
discriminate.
The fourth “DO” is, always check
income and employment. People have a tendency to embellish their information, take the time to make the call and the next “DON’T” is, don’t for get to check
references.
The fifth “DO” is, always access a
full credit report. There is quite a bit of information in a full
credit report that can help you when making the final decision on whether to
rent to an applicant or not and the next “DON’T” is, never accept a credit report from an applicant. It is very easy to create a fraudulent credit
report.
The sixth “DO” is, Do run a national,
State, and County criminal check, again, you want to know who is going to be living in your property and the next “DON’T” is, don’t ask if they
have ever been arrested, but only if they have been convicted of a crime.
The seventh and final “DO” is, always
run and eviction report, if a Potential Tenant has been evicted then this is a
huge red flag. This is why I always stress to Tenants who are on the verge of being evicted, why they should avoid being evicted like the plague. Property Managers never want to deal with someone who has been evicted in the past and the final “DON’T” is never just rely on Landlord references. Often
you get very limited information from a former Landlord, especially if they
want them out of their property.
In my business of Property Management
in Anaheim Ca. I always make decisions when renting properties based on facts.
You owe it to your clients and also to the potential Tenants to base everything
on information you have come up with in your investigation. I never base any
decision on just my personal feeling of an applicant, but I use the information
I receive and get a whole picture of an applicant. Always remember how you
would feel if you were judged on what someone’s first impression of you rather
then the facts of whom you really are. I always treat every applicant fairly
and am always up front with them. The
important thing is that your client must be confident that you are doing your
job and not taking the easy way out.
A.D. Cantelmo Property Management Specializes in Property
Management in Orange County Ca.