Landlord Newsletter | Tenant Red Flags

Dear fellow Landlord,
"Our lawyer sued our last landlord and got all our rent back."
It is amazing what some prospective tenants may say when they are auditioning for a new tenancy! Are your trained to recognize potential "red flags"?

In this newsletter:

• 10 Red Flags & Tenant Turn-offs
  
• Free Form - Tenant Finder Telephone Pre-Screening Worksheet
  
• Ask the Attorney, Real Estate Attorney, John Reno
  
• Tenant Excuse of the Day
  

Please e-mail us if you have any questions or would like to add or share any material / information. Have a great month and an even more successful year ahead.
John Nuzzolese
John@theLPA.com

After a while in the landlord business, showing rental properties to many tenants, you tend to hear some of the same questions and statements again and again. The screening process is alive from the moment you first speak with your new prospects until the leases are signed and the money is paid, so you must keep your eyes and ears open for clues and telltale signs of whether your prospect is the right tenant for your rental.

1. "Let's have my wife sign the lease. Her credit is OK."
   
   
2. "Why do you need our credit reports? That doesn't tell you what good people we are."
   
   
3. "We're moving because our landlord is a jerk."
   
   
4. "You won't need a security deposit with us. We'll take good care of your home."
   
   
5. "I'm an attorney and more than qualified to rent your house. By the way, I found 3 illegal questions in your rental application."
   
   

I've been asked many times to create a form to help landlords ask the right questions on the telephone to help determine if the caller is someone you'd like to set an appointment to show your rental to. The LPA's Tenant-Finder™ Pre-Screening Telephone Worksheet has developed from a simple prospect card into a handy and more complete screening tool for telephone interviews.

Free Download! The LPA's Tenant-Finder™ Pre-Screening Telephone Worksheet Have you ever met prospective tenants at your rental property, shown it to them, had them fill out a rental application only to find that they were nowhere near qualified? A simple pre-screening telephone interview can be a major time saver. Why not focus your attention on the most qualified prospects? Before giving out the address of your rental property and committing your time to a doomed appointment with an unqualified renter, you have a chance to more carefully evaluate which prospects are worth meeting with. I feel very strongly about strict tenant screening, which begins at First Contact with the tenant. First Contact is when you speak with the potential tenant for the first time, usually when they respond to one of your rental ads. At that point, you have the opportunity to learn what you can about this person's current situation. Are they employed? Can they afford your rental? Do their moving dates correspond with your rental's availability? Is their credit rating acceptable? And so on. After completing your Tenant-Finder™ Pre-Screening Telephone Worksheet, you can use the scoring area to evaluate your new prospect. Print up a pile of them to screen your next tenant! Eliminate bad tenant risks before spending your valuable time on them. "Eliminating a bad tenant before I even have to meet him is what I consider the cheapest eviction I can have!" - John@theLPA

Special Limited Time Promotion! FREE Book + LPA Forms Disk with LPA 5 year Membership! Fellow LPA Member, Dr. Danielle Babb is a national real estate expert and author of "The Accidental Landlord". Get your FREE copy now... along with 5 years of LPA LANDLORD PROTECTION! FREE BOOK COUPON CODE: *** DANI *** (Expires Sunday, Cinco de Mayo!)

The Landlord Protection Agency® presents John Reno, Esq., a highly experienced Landlord - Tenant attorney based on Long Island, NY.

John Reno also does Mortgage Loan Modifications (Nationwide).
(Mention The LPA for a 10% discount!)

Dear Mr. Reno:
Can I evict tenant in violation of lease due to failure to pay security deposit?
Deborah C., Hawaii

A: Probably not. Your lease would have to expressly authorize that. But if they are current, why would you? You shouldn't have given possession without a security deposit, but you did - that's on you. So let's move on. Don't compound the problem with court.

If you have a landlord tenant problem you'd like to ask a question about, please feel free to e-mail me your question.
Submit a landlord / tenant question for Mr. Reno
Please try to keep your questions as short and to the point as possible.

"I was at the bus stop and had your money order in my hand. The wind blew it out of my hand and into the street. A bus drove over it and it stuck the wheel." I inquired about a late rent payment and this was the 'reason'. Bear in mind that this was a day or two after a major WI snow storm. - Aldo, Milwaukee, WI

"I will not pay rent until you replace that noisy refrigerator. It keeps me up all night." I've heard the fridge and it is not loud. The tenant's unapproved dog makes more noise. I have sent the LPA Lease Violation Notice. - Carman S., NV

How to Check your LPA Membership Expiration Date:

1. Be logged in with your LPA username & password
   
2. On the "Main Menu" (top right), click on "Your Orders" (right below your name)
   
3. The beginning date of your membership will be listed to the left of your membership order # in this format: YYYYMMDD
   

If you haven't already, please take the opportunity to sign up for The LPA's Quick Check Credit Reports! Quick Check is a simple, fast way to access online credit reports while saving you money!

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