In the previous article where we were focused on important characteristics of a tenant that you wish to have accommodated in your unit. Naturally, there are also those who devoted themselves to the dark side. In this article, we will avoid extremities such as serial killers, lethal sociopaths, and notorious identity thieves, because, honestly, we are not that confident we would identify them, especially if they are well trained at what they do. We will focus rather on people who try to take advantage of you and people who don’t recognize basic decency and basic rules of landlord-tenant relationships. Now, let’s see what are the good reasons to deny an aspiring tenant-troublemaker.
In the previous article where we were focused on important characteristics of a tenant that you wish to have accommodated in your unit. Naturally, there are also those who devoted themselves to the dark side. In this article, we will avoid extremities such as serial killers, lethal sociopaths, and notorious identity thieves, because, honestly, we are not that confident we would identify them, especially if they are well trained at what they do. We will focus rather on people who try to take advantage of you and people who don’t recognize basic decency and basic rules of landlord-tenant relationships. Now, let’s see what are the good reasons to deny an aspiring tenant-troublemaker.
First things first. We are sure you don’t need to be warned, yet to be thorough: Bear in mind that the landlord must treat all prospective tenants equally. You cannot discriminate against certain classes of people in any activity related to housing based on race or color, nationality, sex, religion, familial status, sexual orientation, or disability. Disregarding the law requirements might lead to serious consequences and ruin your reputation.
When seeking a new tenant, you easily swamp into submitting to your most urgent needs. The unit is for example vacant for a long time and you need it to be rented as soon as possible. Or maybe you just have a kind heart and someone tries to play your strings. The fact is that none of us is a clairvoyant. Some people have some kind of “strange aura”, and some are not exactly charming. Even if it doesn’t tell anything about how responsible, reliable, or trustworthy they are, others simply tend to look at them with suspicion, which is, of course, unfair. The best we can do to avoid shallow judgments that may mislead us is to carefully distinguish between sympathies and objective red flags.
- Disregards what you agreed on: Wants everything his way, regardless of the impact it may have on other people. Surely you don’t want to negotiate every single detail with this person.
- Gives obscure answers to direct questions: He knows what needs to be covered.
- Behaves unfriendly or even hostilely: Do you think such a person will be friendly and constructive when it comes to interaction with other tenants, let alone problem-solving with them?
- Has a history of paying rent late: Unreliable. No excuse is good enough if it is occurring repeatedly.
- Has a history of damaging a prior landlord’s property: A person with zero respect. You don’t appreciate such a tenant staying at your property.
- Provides a fake reference: So you have just encountered a liar with no cover? Run!
- Doesn’t prove his income: Because he doesn’t have one.
- Complains about everything from the very beginning: Nothing is good enough at your first meeting? It probably won’t ever be.
- Asks many hypothetical questions: It’s simple. He tries to figure out which of them he has the power to make happen.
- Has a history of felony/eviction/bankruptcy: Check your wallet and car keys. Seriously.