3 Ways to Avoid a Rule-Breaking Tenant

by Chris

tvslandlordblog

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could spot a problem tenant before they cost you money by failing to pay rent or causing damage to your rental property?

Tenants who disrespect rules are highly likely to become problem tenants.  How do you tell if an applicant is a rule-breaker?   Look for signs that the individual is disrespectful:

tenant verification

Showing Up Late Leads to Paying Rent Late

If an applicant shows up late to a scheduled appointment to meet with you or view the property with no apology or no plausible explanation, it’s more than annoying – it is the hallmark of a rule-breaker.  This lack of respect for your time may be only the tip of the iceberg.

Habitually late individuals often lack self-discipline.  This quality may spill over into other areas of their life, like their finances and bill-paying habits.

This can also flag a lack of commitment to renting the home, and may be a sign of a rebellious personality — hardly the traits of an ideal tenant!

Holes in the Rental Application Paint a Picture

By not providing the information requested in the rental application, the applicant is demonstrating their struggle with following rules.  Whether they are hiding information they don’t want you to see, or they simply don’t want to be bothered, leaving out information impedes your ability to effectively screen and evaluate whether this person would make a good tenant.

Trash Talk Spells Trouble

You may have heard the saying, “whoever gossips with you will gossip about you.”  The same is true of the applicant who speaks negatively about their current or previous landlords.

If previous problems are cast as someone else’s fault, or the applicant is unhappy that a previous landlord enforced the rules in the lease, consider that a preview of what they may say about you when the tenancy ends.

If you notice signs of a rule-breaker, that’s your cue to perform careful due diligence on this individual. Run tenant screening reports and speak with previous landlords.  Determine if there is an explanation for the applicant’s actions.

If not, you may have revealed a pattern of misconduct that could lead to income loss.

This article was written by Chris  and originally published on tvslandlordblog