Vetting potential renters - Landlord Forum thread 358324

Vetting potential renters by Kenny (TX) on July 31, 2018 @12:05

Years ago, I met a landlord who told me one of the ways he vets potential renters was to visit their current residence. He tells interested parties upfront his expectations and some people weed themselves out. He states this gives him insight into how well they maintain their living environment. Does anyone else do this?

Another interesting thing he said...He makes the renter responsible for any repairs less than $250, saving him the time an energy of driving all around the city to his multiple homes for small repairs. My thought process is, it would make sense to tend to smaller repairs before they escalate. Your thoughts?

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Re: Vetting potential renters by Jim on July 31, 2018 @12:54	[ Reply ]

A great idea. You may want to watch John's video about that exact subject: https://vimeo.com/227775535

Re: Vetting potential renters by Dayna on July 31, 2018 @14:05	[ Reply ]

Visiting a tenant's current residence only works under some circumstances. My latest tenants, military, moved from another state, not affording me an opportunity to visit. However, the actual dwelling can be viewed on apps like Google Earth streetview. I have used this tool to check on some remote tenants. One prospective tenant's house was in my rental's neighborhood, down the street. The messy and cluttered front yard told me what I needed to know about them; no visit needed!

Re: Vetting potential renters by lpadave on August 1, 2018 @03:10	[ Reply ]

IMO 250 is a bit high. While we all want the T to take proper care of our property, I've always felt 75 to 150 was a better amount for the minimum / deductible. My thinking has been that I want to know about the stuff that needs attention, big and small before it really becomes a problem,...whether it's normal wear n tear or abuse/damage. Stuff happens and shows up between scheduled inspections and we can't see everything on those inspections. I've always insisted on keeping interim inspections as brief as possible, respecting my Ts right to privacy. It is an invasion,..we know it even if it is within our rights. Higher tenant responsible first dollars , encourages tenants to not see the stuff that. Really should be taken care of.

Re: Vetting potential renters by Phillip on August 2, 2018 @09:59	[ Reply ]

I think $250 is high. I generally use $75 as a good point in my prior rental areas. You want to avoid them from calling you to replace lightbulbs, but you want them to call you if a switch or socket may not be wired correctly. Most of the things that happen regularly and may be under $75, I specifically called out, such as lockouts (about $40 from a locksmith) and plumbing stoppages (which can be under $100 for a local plumber). If I have to have any major trade in the building, even if just to inspect or do something small, I probably would want to be tracking it. $250 would cover up a lot of things I might want to know about.

Re: Vetting potential renters