Best ways to check out a prospective tenant

1) speak to previous landlord or try to get a feel of the person yourself

2) ask for employment record

find out where they work….and ask previous tenants

find out from their tenants now

Asking previous landlord is not always going to give you the truth as the landlord will give excellent info just to rid himself/herself of a tenant giving problems,whatever it may be.

A good suggestion is to ask for two months security and have a second party sign the lease as well.

Today there a brokers who help people get apartments with the brokers fee being the tenants responsibility.

Good Luck!

There are tenant screening services which will give you a report on a prospective tenant, for a fee. It might be also useful to know if a tenant has a history of suing his previous landlords.

Absolute best way is to interview them…in THEIR CURRENT APT!

I had a landlord come to visit me in my apt for the preview…he saw I was clean and put together. Its the best way to get a “feel” of the person.

Heimishe papers are purchased by others that are not Heimish too!

People can accuse you of descriminating. Any frum garb can be purchased in our community and you never may know the truth till after they move in when you will realize what you got yourself into.

List with a broker and be specific of what you are looking for as tenants.

I have been a landlord for over 25 years. I’ve had many good tenants, and only one bad one.

First, I always do a credit check. It costs only a few dollars. If people don’t pay other bills, they won’t pay the rent bill, you can count on that.

Second, I do like to have the lease signing at their current apartment. I don’t look to see that they’re neat and well put together, but rather I look for signs that they have respect for other peoples’ property. The one time I walked out of a lease signing, it was because the tenants were writing phone numbers on the wall paper near the phone. It made me uncomfortable to walk out, but not as uncomfortable as I would have been having them as tenants.

Third, I always price my apartment $50-$100 below market, so I get lots of prospects to choose from. They are going to be my neighbors, and I would like them to be pleasant.

Fourth, I allow dogs (subject to meeting the dog). When I put “pets allowed” in the add, I get loads of nice people beating a path to my door. They tend to stay long periods since it is hard to rent an apt if you own a dog.

Remember that most tenants are really good – you were probably a good one when you rented.

Also, you don’t want a reference from their current landlord, he may be looking to get rid of them because they’re bad tenants. You want a reference from their previous landlord.

Know your federal, state and city fair housing laws. Be very careful not to violate them. Remember that you need not (and should not) give a prospective tenant a reason for not renting to them.

Being a landlord has been one of the most fulfilling jobs I’ve ever had, but you must remember it’s a service job. If a tenant calls you in the middle of the night to report a leak in the basement, be grateful that he is alerting you right away, and not letting the leak continue until it can do more harm.

Hatzlacha rabah.