Give It To Me Straight

A long time ago, back when she was speaking to me (and that would be before I approved her for the home she is living in now), Mrs. Spring sweetly told me my application is "daunting."

Perhaps it is. It is my best tool to screen out the good from the bad. I contend the most I will ever learn about a potential tenant is between the time they express interest in my home to the time they sign the lease. My interest is to protect my asset. And, if Joe and Jane Tenant are worthy, I will allow them to live in my home.

I make no apologies for my arrogance. I have written enough about my mistakes. Most of my crummy tenants came from a lack of standards and desperation. It took me two years to purge the bad ones from my homes, so I think a few guidelines are warranted.

My "daunting" application asks for a myrad of things. For example, I ask for the applicant's name, date of birth and social security number. This way I can run their credit, background check and eviction search. I can't do these things without these three tid-bits.

I ask for a phone number, cell number and e-mail address. If I rent to them, I need ways to get in touch.

I ask for previous addresses and landlord references. Generally I call the second to the last place they lived. That landlord has nothing to loose or gain by telling me about their rental history. The landlord where the tenants are living now might tell me how great they are--just so Joe and Jane Tenant will move out of their home and take their trouble with them. I also verify the addresses they put on the application with the credit report. I like to see consistency.

I also like to see stability. If Joe and Jane move every year, I shouldn't be surprised 11 months into the lease when they give their notice. Moving every year also can mean they don't play well with others--like their landlord. I saw this with Mr. and Mrs. Betty and ignored it.

I ask for job history. I want to see how much they tell me they make. I compare this to their pay stub they must supply. I also want to see what Joe and Jane do for a living. Their job is my business. If Joe is a loan officer during a recession, I might have concerns about how they plan on paying the rent. I love seeing potential tenants who are nurses, mechanics and teachers. These folks are employable.

I ask for an overview of their debt. I match this with their credit history. If they forget to mention the car payment on the application, but the credit report says they are paying $300 a month, I will know. I can expect these kinds of omissions later on when the neighbor mentions their have been sightings of a hippopotamus traipsing around the tenant's back yard.

I like seeing that Joe and Jane have school-age children. That shows me stability and that there is less likely a chance they will be moving next year. This is especially true if they move in during the school year.

I ask for information about their cars. Sadly, I have had occasion to give this information for a criminal investigation once the tenants moved out.

I ask for information about their pets. If they say they have a poodle named "Fifi" and I come over, I don't want to see a Doberman named "Bruno."

I ask for two current references and one family member reference. I want to see phone numbers and addresses for these. You would be amazed at the number of people who "forget" to give me a phone number for references. Of course, I don't really want the reference phone numbers for potential tenants. I want the phone numbers in the event things don't go well and I need to find them later on. I also want their friends to tell the potential tenants I called.

The last page of my application is to see how truthful Joe and Jane might be. I ask lots of personal questions. I ask if there are any bankruptcies, repossessions, foreclosures and evictions I should know about. I like bankruptcies. If Joe and Jane have a recent bankruptcy, that means they don't have debt and can't file on me. If they have the income to cover the rent and everything else looks pretty good, they have a good chance of renting from me.

I can't say the same about an eviction. Nobody with a past eviction rents from me. Ever. Anyone willing to be evicted once will do it again. And please, don't confuse eviction with foreclosure. I will rent to someone with a foreclosure.

I ask if they have been convicted of manufacturing illegal drugs, possession of illegal drugs or if they are a sex offender. Honesty is the best policy on this one, but it won't matter. I check for myself and I won't rent to one. More than anything, I find people who think these particular questions are offensive. My standard answer is that I checked on the last people who lived in the home, and I can assure you, Joe and Jane, they weren't. Therefore you won't have to worry about the former tenant's drug user friends showing up at 2 a.m.

I also ask if Joe and Jane are legal residents of the United States. Legal residents can hold jobs and their wages can be garnished.

My application process tells me more than what is written on the pages. It tells me about a potential tenant's communication skills. It tells me how truthful they are. And, it tells me what a tenant is willing to share. What they might leave out screams louder than what they put on the application.