How I get my tenants - Landlord Forum thread 346817

How I get my tenants by Anonymous on July 27, 2016 @13:16

I like CL because I know the people at least have the ability to email which is how I communicate with most of my tenants... along with text messaging. I'm going to try Zillow as well. I put my ad in CL with lots of photos and a link to a video walk through tour I make and post on youtube. Then, when someone contacts me, I send them this list of questions:

Hello, I have a few questions I ask before I show the apartment: 1. who will live in the apartment?  2. how long have you been at your job? 3. how's your credit? 4. will you get a good reference from your current landlord? 5. do you have any pets? 6. Smoke? 7. do you have your first month's rent and security deposit available now? 8. How long are you planning on staying?
9. By what date will you be ready to move in? Thank you in advance for your answers,
if they say that their credit is not good, then I send them this letter:
Dear ,
Thank you for your interest in the apartment. Unfortunately your credit rating does not meet the minimum criteria established for this property which is a score in the "excellent" range or higher.
We wish you the best of luck in finding a new home.
Sincerely,

This way I don't ever have to talk to someone on the phone if I'm not interested in them. I don't stand up well to people who BEG me to give them a try despite their bad credit, employment, etc and I ALWAYS lose out with these people.

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Re: How I get my tenants by Garry (Iowa) on July 27, 2016 @19:55	[ Reply ]

If you send a person your letter that their credit rating does not meet your standards, don't you have to also send the standard Adverse Action letter stating they can check out their credit rating at the BIG 3 credit agencies ? I was also wondering, if you get 10 people contacting you, and you send out your list of questions to all 10, about how many actually email their answers back ? And out of those that you get back, about how many do you turn down? Also, about how long does it take to rent your apartments once you start advertising? I'm guessing you turn down a lot of people if you are only accepting people in the "excellent" credit range.

Re: How I get my tenants by J (FL) on July 27, 2016 @20:57	[ Reply ]

It sounds like he is sending an email "letter" to people in pre-screening. I don't want people with horrible credit, but I will take those with marginal credit. There's a reason some people rent instead of buy.

Re: How I get my tenants by Anonymous on July 28, 2016 @17:57	[ Reply ]

Yes, that's what I'm doing. Someone responds to my Craigslist ad via email and I email them back my list of questions. I never even talk to them until I am ready to set up a walk through.

Re: How I get my tenants by Anonymous on July 28, 2016 @17:51	[ Reply ]

I would say about 50% reply to my list of questions. Most are honest and say that they have poor credit. I don't even show the apartment to people who admit that they have poor credit. I just send them the letter that to qualify for this property they need to have credit in the excellent range

Re: How I get my tenants by Anonymous on July 28, 2016 @17:54	[ Reply ]

I forgot to answer the rest of your questions. My ads State no smoking and no pets but I ask those questions over again in my list of questions and quite a few people say that they do smoke and do have pets. So comma unless someone has a job good credit good references no pets and don't smoke I don't show them the apartment. It takes me 1 to 2 months to find a tenant and when I do they usually last for years

Re: How I get my tenants by Anonymous on July 28, 2016 @00:36	[ Reply ]

What score do you start your "excellent" range on?

Re: How I get my tenants by Anonymous on July 28, 2016 @17:58	[ Reply ]

650

Re: How I get my tenants by Anonymous on July 28, 2016 @20:08	[ Reply ]

That's what you call Excellent ???? A "good" score is 675-750. Excellent starts at 750 >

Re: How I get my tenants