Discovering high quality tenants is among the most vital duties {that a} landlord should do. The standard of tenants can have a major impression on the success of a rental property.
Listed below are some suggestions for locating high quality tenants:
The Significance of a High quality Itemizing
Earlier than you even get to the screening a part of the method of discovering a high quality tenant, it’s essential to be certain that to draw the suitable tenants within the first place.

To do this, it’s essential to ensure you do the next:Â
- Create a high-quality itemizing (we simply printed a podcast on this very subject)
- Checklist your rental the place your potential tenants are looking out (flats.com, Rentler, and so forth.)
- Spotlight advantages of the property location (e.g. downtown, close to parks, high quality colleges, and so forth.)
- Pets? Deposits? Utilities? Smoking Coverage?
- Element the touring and utility course of.
The Significance of a Personalized Utility
When potential tenants are going to use to your rental, you need to have an utility that each applicant fills out. To keep away from any Honest Housing points, the appliance must be the identical for each tenant that applies on your rental property.
Usually, the appliance that tenants fill out ought to have some commonplace data that every applicant wants to supply:Â
- Identify
- Contact Data
- Date of Start
- SSN
- Drivers License #
- Anticipated Transfer-in Date
Apart from the essential data, chances are you’ll want extra data to assist financially pre-qualify the tenant. Data reminiscent of:Â
- Month-to-month/Annual Revenue
- Employment Historical past
- Proof of Present Employment/Revenue
- References
You then’ll wish to ensure that the tenant has a optimistic rental historical past. In an effort to do this, you’ll most likely wish to get the next data:
- 5 Years of Prior Addresses
- Property Supervisor Contact Information (previous two years)
- Month-to-month Charges of Earlier Rental(s)
Now that you’ve all the core data wanted to pre-screen the candidates, you possibly can proceed with the screening course of.
The Significance of Pre-Qualifying Candidates with Rental Standards
Previous to accepting functions, it’s important that you’ve Rental Standards which can be properly outlined as a part of both the itemizing itself or on the appliance. Wherever you publish it, it must be early on – earlier than the prospect will get too far into the method of expressing curiosity in your rental property.
Ideally, it must be on the rental itemizing so that you just don’t even waste the time of unqualified potential tenants by touring a property that they gained’t be capable to qualify for.Â
The exception could also be for those who handle different rental properties that you will have accessible for these tenants who don’t meet the necessities of the rental they initially expressed curiosity in.
Wherever it’s printed, the factors should be express about what is going to (or is not going to) be accepted.

Some issues you’ll probably wish to cowl in your applicant standards might embrace:Â
- Month-to-month Revenue Necessities
- Felony / Misdemeanor Necessities
- Eviction / Rental Historical past Necessities
- Credit score Rating Necessities
Ensuring that your utility standards are apparent will assist to weed out any doubtlessly unqualified tenants. It would prevent and the applicant time, problem, and cash as a result of they gained’t fill out a pointless utility for a rental they gained’t get permitted for.
The Significance of a Constant Screening Course of
After you will have prequalified your potential tenants, now it’s essential to display them. And, just like the appliance, each screening must be carried out the identical approach, each single time.
There also needs to be outlined standards for what determines if somebody is permitted or not. That standards must be strictly adhered to since any contradictory denials or approvals might land you in scorching Honest Housing water.
For instance: You decline one applicant as a result of that they had a misdemeanor up to now 2 years, however you then approve one other applicant who additionally had a misdemeanor up to now 2 years.
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Listed below are among the issues it’s best to think about when screening a possible tenant:
- Verify employment historical past.
A landlord ought to all the time test employment historical past earlier than renting to a possible tenant. It will assist make sure that the tenant has steady employment and may afford the hire funds every month.
- Verify felony data.Â
A landlord ought to all the time test felony data earlier than renting to a possible tenant. It will assist to make sure that the tenant has no felony document and won’t pose a risk to different tenants or the property itself.
A landlord ought to all the time test rental historical past earlier than renting to a possible tenant. It will assist to make sure that the tenant has not had any issues paying hire up to now and can be capable to pay hire on time sooner or later as properly.
A landlord ought to all the time test credit score scores earlier than renting to a possible tenant. It will assist to make sure that the tenant has good credit score and may afford the hire funds every month with out having issues with late funds or different points associated to paying hire on time every month.
After you have attracted the suitable potential tenants, pre-qualified them early on, after which screened them to make sure they meet all the standards on your rental property, you’ll wish to transfer the method alongside rapidly to get a lease signed and finalized.
Checklist > Pre-Qualify > Tour > Display screen > Approve > E-Signal.Â
The faster the method, the higher. Even a high-quality tenant who’s been permitted might wish to again out of a rental on the final minute for any variety of causes.Â
It’s not unusual for that to occur.
And it’s particularly painful when you will have gone by means of a prolonged touring, screening, and approval course of, in the end taking the rental off the market and informing all different events that the rental is now not accessible.Â
And if there is no such thing as a signed lease… you’re out of luck.