How to Attract and Evaluate the Best Tenants

As a landlord, protecting your property means finding trustworthy tenants. This involves not only seeking those who can manage rent payments but also thoroughly screening them to reduce property management risks such as delayed payments, evictions, and damages. New landlords often ask, “How do I check a tenant’s background?” This blog will guide you.

Tenant screening is essential. While horror stories about difficult tenants abound, many of these situations could have been avoided with better upfront screening. It’s not just about trusting your instincts; it’s about the data. For those looking to maintain steady rental income, a detailed screening process is crucial, covering credit reports, criminal backgrounds, and eviction histories.

Rushing tenant screening due to vacancy fears can be costly. Effective screening services are both quick and detailed. Let’s delve into why screening matters:

Know Your Applicant’s Finances: Beyond just a credit score, a detailed credit report highlights a tenant’s financial standing, revealing debts and credit behaviors. For applicants with limited credit history, options like requiring co-signers can be considered.
Ensure Payment Reliability: A majority of landlords express concerns about new tenant payment issues. Comprehensive credit reports and checks with past landlords and employers can illuminate an applicant’s payment and employment stability.
Protect Property & Community: Criminal background checks are crucial. Evaluating potential tenants’ histories ensures you don’t compromise property or community safety.
Eviction Prevention: Knowledge of an applicant’s eviction history is vital to sidestep future problems. Detailed eviction reports can give insights into past tenant behaviors.
Peace of Mind: Regular screening procedures, including credit, criminal, and eviction checks, increase the chances of acquiring reliable tenants. Services like Houst offer swift, dependable results, saving time and resources. Proper screening increases the likelihood of securing long-term, responsible tenants.

Lastly, adhering to fair housing laws ensures you treat all applicants equitably and stave off legal issues. All UK landlords should familiarize themselves with these laws to ensure a just and inclusive rental process.

Key Responsibilities in Tenant Management

Equal Treatment: UK landlords must ensure fairness throughout the rental process, avoiding discrimination from property advertising to tenancy management.

Advertisement Guidelines: Property listings should comply with anti-discrimination laws, focusing on property features, not potential tenant characteristics.

Objective Tenant Selection: Choose tenants based on rental history, creditworthiness, and references, steering clear of discriminatory practices.

Accommodating Disabilities: Landlords should make necessary adjustments, like wheelchair ramps, for disabled tenants unless they’re excessively burdensome.

No Harassment: Tenants exercising their rights under housing laws should never face harassment or retaliation. Always promote a respectful environment.

Implement Anti-Discrimination Policies: Regularly update and enforce policies in line with fair housing laws. Ensure all staff are trained and aware.

Maintain Records: Keep detailed records, including applications and accommodation requests, as evidence of fair treatment.

Tenant Screening Process: With digital applications rising, rental fraud has increased. Thorough tenant screening is essential. This involves:

Credit & Background Checks: Evictions are costly and time-consuming. Effective tenant screening can mitigate these risks.
Gathering Essential Details: Collect comprehensive details including full name, contact, employment, and references. Ensure all provided information is complete and transparent, keeping legal guidelines in mind.

Income & Employment Verification

A TransUnion survey found 84% of landlords cite payment issues as their primary worry, with eviction costs sometimes reaching $10,000. Ensure tenants have stable incomes to afford rent by checking income, employment, and obtaining recent pay stubs. Positive references, both personal and from employers, reinforce a tenant’s reliability.

Rental History Insights

Examining a tenant’s past addresses offers a glimpse into their rental behaviors and history. Landlords can gather insights about timely rent payments, property upkeep, and tenant-landlord relations by contacting previous landlords.

Importance of Landlord References

Landlord references are invaluable, revealing:

Rental Behavior: Insights into rent payment punctuality, property care, and lease adherence.

Reliability: Assesses trustworthiness in fulfilling rental obligations.

Tenant Interactions: Feedback on their conduct with neighbors.

Potential Red Flags: Past issues like late payments or property damages.

Truth Verification: Ensures honesty in provided details.

Checking Employment & Personal References

Evaluating an applicant’s character and financial stability is crucial. Personal references shed light on character, while employment references validate current employment and financial capacity to pay rent. Always use official channels for verification to ensure accuracy.

Eviction History Consideration

Be vigilant of a potential tenant’s eviction history. Overlooking this can result in expensive, time-consuming evictions. A thorough tenant screening, including eviction checks, prevents future issues. It’s wiser to preemptively address concerns than tackle them down the line.

Lease Agreement Overview

For new tenants, set move-in dates, tenancy duration, and monthly rent. New landlords can refer to this guide. A lease agreement is a legal contract detailing the rental’s terms, protecting both landlord and tenant. Essential components in a lease include:

Parties involved: Landlord, co-lessors, and all tenants’ contact details.
Rental Unit Description: Property’s full description, including address and parking.
Tenancy Term: Start and end dates, renewal process, and termination procedures.
Rent: Due date, amount, payment methods, and any late fees.
Utilities: What’s included or excluded.
Deposits: Outline deposit use and refund.
Smoking Rules: Where it’s allowed and penalties for breaches.
Insurance: Tenant’s required coverage.
Rental Unit Changes: Permissions and restrictions.
Maintenance: Responsibilities and accountability.
Subletting: Rules for subletting or assigning the lease.
Additional Terms: Other terms, e.g., pet policy.
Agreement Modifications: Rules for making changes.
Signatures: Spaces for all parties to sign and date.

Creating a Lease Agreement

Craft it yourself or use online templates. For a foolproof lease, consult a real estate lawyer to ensure legal adherence and protection.

Breaking a Lease

Landlords must have a valid reason. Ensure provisions are in the lease for potential changes. For month-to-month leases, give 30 days’ notice. Open communication and “cash for keys” agreements might also be strategies.

Tenant Screening Tools

Rentberry:

Free for landlords.
Offers background and credit checks.
Pros: Accessible on multiple platforms, 24/7 support, free tenant screening.
Cons: No free trial for paid features.

Rentme:

Free services for landlords.
Combines background and credit checks in one report.
Pros: Free for landlords, 24/7 support, wide pool of potential tenants.
Cons: Mainly web-based.

Both services simplify the landlord’s experience, offering comprehensive tenant information.

Keey: Your Ideal Rental Management Partner

Choose Keey for a streamlined rental management experience. Keey offers powerful tenant screening tools and manages your property with care, from listings to contract management. They prioritize creating attractive Airbnb listings, maintenance, and cleaning. Rely on Keey’s expertise for competitive pricing strategies and tailored services, regardless of your experience level as a landlord.