Best way to find good tenant for house in Las Cruces..

[rlj1965]

Originally Posted by cloudcroft

NMRNEd,

Do all the background checks you can -- that's a must -- but realize that you can still get someone who is a dope-dealer, drunk, sells all the furniture/appliances, has unruly kids/pets, makes holes in/writes on the walls, lets the landscaping die, trashes out the place/yard, and eventually skips.

On the other hand, some people have had credit problems are great tenants. I've known at least one "poor-credit tenant" who always left the rental in better condition than it was in the beginning.

Go figure.

It's a matter of individual character and integrity on the part of the tenant.

In the end, you will need to have a real. old-fashioned face-to-face interview with the prospective tenant and go with your gut feelings.

I agree with other posters above that finding a good realtor/property-management agent in Las Cruces to FIND the good tenant and look after your house is best if YOU won't be there to do it, but then, you have to find a GOOD agent...back to square one as per your question.

Good luck,

-- John D.

P.S. "4 Hills"...thought at first you were talking about Albuquerque...didn't know Las Cruces also had a neighborhood called that.

Here Here! Great post. I happen to be one of those folks with a scar on my credit. Got taken to the cleaners by a business partner gone bad and had to file a chapter 13 to protect my house after we were sued by a client due to my partners bad judgment.

We eventually decided to sell the house to pay of legal fees for the court battle with the former partner and had the chapter 13 dismissed... yet it remains on our credit report. We now rent a house. Some of the places we wanted to rent were not available to us because we were judged based solely on the credit score. We have always maintained or improved upon a dwelling that we resided in and I can tell you that judging people solely on their FICO score, while a good start, is not the final in making a decision. We have since worked diligently on improving our scores by getting new (secured) credit and always being on time. When we went into the house we are currently renting we offered additional security deposit up-front with an explanation to the lessor of what had happened to us. We have since, with his approval added a nice garden, new lights and paint to spruce the place up. Friends say we are crazy to put any of our own money into a rental, but we like to have a nice place to live in. I for one would rely on not just a credit score, but more on that combined with personal references from previous creditors/landlords.

[kallista]

SO many who post here are looking for something to rent, i included...
Good luck on the rental..
blessings

[fivestar]

require a credit check, a cosigner on the lease, and at least 3 or 4 referrals from previous landlords.

[Yankeehombre]

I have rented to dozens of people in a house sharing situation in a college town. House sharing is a whole differnt ballgame more intense than just renting a property, you get all the bad habits too. I have developed a couple of rules thatseem to filter out the deadbeats. Meet with them first + if they don't give off good vibes pass them by. Second only offer a place as a stepping-stone in someone's life. Deadbeats are going nowhere + aren't interested in stepping-stones. The only 2 people I ever had a problem with was when I didn't follow my rules. 1 was homeless due to a breakup. the second was an insufferable drunk (professionally employed newspaper editor, had plenty of money + credit) He died here from the DT's withdrawing from alcholosim. money + credit mean nothing!

[humbert]

I have a question for all of you housing experts in Las Cruces NM!

How do I go about doing a credit or a backround check on my tenants. What is the process, who do I contact, where do I go, how much will they charge? And can we also do fingerprinting when requesting a background check?

Also, am I allowed to ask for their social security card to verify their identity (for background check and what not), including drivers license?

Also, what would be the proper wording to put on a lease to charge a non-refundable move-in fee?

For those of you who know fair housing law in Las Cruces NM, do you know if there are different vacate timetables for different types of dwellings (such as double white mobile homes, efficiency apartments)? And if so what are they?

As a landlord I am concerned about getting the proper tenants. The last thing I want is someone skipping out on the rent!

[dmrob]

Read all of your posts/answers regarding a rental manager in Las Cruces. We are currently looking for one as well. Are you satisfied with the one you are using? If so, info would be appreciated - we are living in Texas and have to everything long distance. Thanks in advance! Dori