Okay,
last part of the Rent Out Guide. My head is steaming from all this
thinking, but I really need to get this done today. And with that, we
come to the Background Check and the Lease Signing.
The BACKGROUND CHECK
I
will never pay for a background check. When I first came to
Smalltown, I promised myself that I would take the time to understand
what makes a good tenant. I'll listen to what they say, gain some
experience. Once I do that, I'll be able to tell whether someone will
work out in a matter of minutes. While I'm still working my way to
getting there, I'm glad I made that promise. But, even if they pass
all my interviews with flying colors, I still need to verify the info
on their lease application.It's very simple, really. It's basically a landlord referral, job verification, and finally a criminal check (once I find a free way to check credit, I'll add that in too).
Landlord
Referral
I
have to get into contact with their previous landlord. Had I done
that, maybe I wouldn't be stuck with that mongrel Tisha right now. I
call the number they list and ask the regular questions:
- How long have they been your tenants? (Must match the application)
- Do they regularly pay on time? (The longer the answer, the more truthful.)
- Has there been any issues with repairs or anything like that? (The longer the answer, the more truthful.)
- Do you know where they are currently working? (The landlord should.)
Now
some prospective tenants may say that they currently live with their
parents or Godknowswhere. While that may be true, it's good to test
them and get the parents' number anyway. It also helps to look up the
owner of their current residence and call them for verification.
Next
is the employment verification. Call the number they list as their
job (verify the number online) and ask the same questions, like how
long they've worked there and are they good employees.
The
last part of the background check is looking for evictions. This is
the easy one. I simply go on my county's website and go to the Civil
Court section. I type in the name. If the name pops up, it means that
they've been taken to eviction court. It won't show the results but
it really doesn't matter. If I really have a good feeling about them,
I'll give them a chance to explain and then make my decision.
Otherwise, they get denied.
Criminal History
There are a few sites where I can type in a name and they will show whether that person has been arrested for anything. County websites usually have options to search for cases, so that's what I usually do.
Criminal History
There are a few sites where I can type in a name and they will show whether that person has been arrested for anything. County websites usually have options to search for cases, so that's what I usually do.
Okay,
so I've chosen my tenant and call them to say that the place is
theirs if they're still interested. If they are, great! We set up a
time that day or the next to do the lease signing. If they don't
sound all that enthused, screw them. Just let them know the place is
theirs if they want it and get the hell off the phone. No need to put
pressure on them, even if I'm desperate. It's a sign of weakness that
any prospective tenant can sense.
THE
LEASE SIGNING
Alright!
The prospective tenant meets with me and the lease is ready to be
signed. If they don't have all the money, I can tell them to pay the
full security deposit and I'll hold the apartment for 72 hours. They
MUST sign a document stating that the deposit is non-refundable, just
in case the deadbeat can't come up with the money in time. Remember,
while I'm holding the apartment I can't show it to anyone else. I
lose potential business every day that I wait. Non-refundable? You
bet your ass.
If
they have all the money (must be in a check or money order), then I
give them the lease to read over. I leave the room to give the
impression of no pressure. After they read and agree to everything,
we do a final walk-through of the apartment to verify that everything
is in good condition. If anything needs to be fixed or replaced, it
gets put on the Walk-through paper along with the estimated date it
will be fixed. Once that paper is signed, the lease is finally
signed. Here's your copy. These are my copies. Here are the keys. See
ya!
And
that's that. My fingers are killing me, but I'm glad I got this out
of my head. I felt anxious about renting out Mallory's apartment at
Property X on Monday, mostly because I haven't done it in a while.
But this guide helps, and hopefully it'll get better and better with
every update.
My last tenant is horrible, despite the fact that she is paying her rent on time every single month. Every single month, also, she is arguing with frivolous things: she decided that she wanted me to change the place of the light's swictch in one bedroom and as I refused, she broke the whole circuit: we had to change the entire line. Another month, she wanted me to change ALL (10 of them) the windows in the apartment , because she said they are making noise when the weather is windy. I refused and she called the building department, and reported me. Three months ago, she called in emergency because she think was a gas leak - and when we arrived with a brand new detector, she said, no, it was a mistake, etc...etc... She also reported me to the Health department and she asked for them to perform a Lead control - two days' inspection, no lead detected. She is using abusive language, calling us liards, and theifs. She wrote email, telling us they prohibit us to enter the apartment with the repairman if they are absent, because, they do not trust us, and she said that she will accused me if "something" will be missing in her apartment, and so on, and so on. I have a hundred pages of insults and abuses from her in the past eighteen months. . Finally, last week, she yelled on my husband who was painting outside of her apartment and she said that he is "under her feet". We tried to stay very calm and we avoid talking to her, never responding to her abuses. We communicate by mail. She is the most terrible person I ever had as a tenant, and while she pays on time, she is making our life so miserable that we are now considering selling our rental building, just for the sake of our health. We are so disturbed by her that we cannot sleep well, we are on stress, and I can see that our health is deteriorating for the past months of our tenant's abuse against us. We are 70 and 76 yers old.
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