How to Properly Screen Tenants
Updated:
July 26, 2019
Written by:
Abhi Sreerama
It can be incredibly tempting to cut corners on the tenant screening process. This becomes even more common when you are trying to fill your rental property quickly. However, it is incredibly important to ensure that you thoroughly and effectively screen tenants in order to prevent large problems from arising further down the line. Here are a few tips to help you properly screen tenants for your rental property.

Require an Application
It is crucial to ensure that you require all potential tenants to submit an application. This is critical in preventing huge issues, like claims of unfair housing practices. Along with the completed application, it is important to look into the history of the applicant. Perform a credit check, background check, and contact the references they have provided.
Set Requirements
Setting requirements beforehand will help to simplify your tenant screening process. Ensure that you have clearly outlined your requirements regarding income, credit score, and more. This will also help to ensure that your employees are clear and on the same page about your specific requirements.
Watch for Red Flags
It is important to watch for specific red flags during the tenant screening process. This can help you to prevent potentially problematic tenants in the early stages. Some of the most common red flags include applicants that are currently unemployed, have a bad credit score, maintain an insufficient income, have prior evictions or crimes on their record, want to move in extremely quickly, refuse to offer specific information, or are caught lying on the application. Even simply having a bad feeling about the applicant may be a red flag to pay attention to. The tenant screening process is an incredibly important component of managing a rental property. You should never cut corners when it comes to properly screening potential tenants. To get more information about the ideal tenant screening processes, contact us at the Keyrenter in Houston today!
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