Bad Tenants and Tenant Screening

With a simple Google search one can discover hundreds of horror stories about bad tenants. It’s nothing new. In general, most tenants are ideal, or close to ideal. They pay rent on time, follow the rules, and behave in an acceptable manner within the rental community. Others are less than ideal.

In Yakima Washington there is an entire complex purported to be filled with “bad tenants.” A single news story can illustrate with absolute clarity one of the key reasons landlords and property managers should conduct a thorough tenant background check prior to signing a leasing agreement.

tenant verification

The most obvious reason is financial. Can a tenant afford the property they are renting? Do they have solid employment? Will they pay on time? Another concerns safety to other long-term renters. Does a potential tenant have a criminal background that may reflect potential recidivism? Is a perspective tenant a sex offender? But a lesser reason is that of reputation of given rental property.

From a local Yakima news report:

Yakima Police told KIMA up until a few months ago, they were responding to a crime or complaint every single day here at the Mesa apartments. These days, there’s still a heavy police presence – just for very different reasons.

If a police department is responding to a crime or complaint on a daily basis that property will gain a bad reputation, a reputation that may be difficult to lose. Unfortunately, as a reputation decreases a landlord or property manager may be willing to take short cuts in vetting tenants or reducing a monthly rate in order to gain full occupancy of the property.

Fortunately the Yakima Police Department has been proactive in assisting a new manager in reducing the problems around the complex.

Screening tenants can help improve the quality of life in a rental complex, as well as the reputation of that complex. With the addition of long-term tenants there is an ability to increase and project stable revenue. Tenant screening can provide detailed information a landlord or property manager needs to make an informed decision. A tenant check can go beyond a simple credit check. It may include criminal history, eviction records, employment verification, and a variety of other tools that will greatly assist decision makers.

Rental property owners know that a reputation can be everything. The wrong tenant or, in this case, the wrong group of tenants can destroy more than property. And once a property is on a downward spiral it can be very difficult to climb back. Tenant background screening can assist in preventing loss of reputation on the front end.

Source : tenantscreeningusa