QUOTE (FHC @ Aug 15 2009, 11:21 AM) Hi Fisher,
During the pre-screening process, I interview prospective applicants (& co-applicants/signor in case the applicant is a student), require them to fill up the applicantion form, sign portion of the form that gives me the authority to do credit and criminal checks, ask for at least two personal references, copy of the driver`s license. Based on the information I gathered, I select the best candidate, ask them to sign the lease agreement (normally for one year), two months deposits plus a reasonable security deposit.
This process works for me. Hope it works for you, too. Good luck.
TonyM
To me this might all sound like a great idea and I tried to put together my own application form for my rentals. In the end, it becomes almost impossible to interview/screen them all, and you go with your gut on whether or not you`d trust these people with your property.
In the last 2 weeks, I rented 3 apartments and had over 100 calls from desparate people. In the end, the first people that were interested, that I liked, I gave them the keys. If I thought anyone a little odd, I simply told them to take an application, fill it out, and I had more people to show the place. That is how I got rid of them. I also try to charge enough for the places that it keeps the riff raff away.
Rental applications might work for multitenant units where a landlord or property manager wants to keep a list of people to fill the vacant units. For shmows like me renting 1 or 2 unit houses, then it`s a waste of effort and might even detract a perfectly good tenant if you ask for too much info.
Probably not an attitude supported on this forum, certainkly for someone`s first post here, but if you cannot trust your own gut feeling on a potential tenant, then you shouldn`t be doing this.
Nubi