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Old 09-26-2012, 04:12 PM
 
35 posts, read 335,953 times
Reputation: 44

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I know that you need to be fair/equal/etc with everyone.... to set standards and apply them to all, etc... that's easy and clear cut with things like making 3x the rent per month, credit score of XXX or above ...

But how do you turn someone down if you know they will not be a good fit and don't even want to run their credit? Or can you?

i.e. we are looking for a clean tenant... and in a magazine article (put out by our association) it says to look at their car. If their car is a complete mess, chances are they live like that as well. In this case, we would not want to rent to them. What's the law then? Do you have to accept the application anyways?

They also recommend to take their picture + look at their D/L, since people who are just trying to scam you will run the other way if you request that. I would feel awkward asking to take their picture, but for sure will ask for the D/L. Input on that?

And another question - accept application money in what form? Cash/mo only?

Thanks in advance, it's been a while since we've had to deal with this part of being a landlord. If it matters, we are in CA.
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Old 09-26-2012, 06:21 PM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,716,942 times
Reputation: 43659
Quote:
Originally Posted by plscuba View Post
But how do you turn someone down if you know they will not be a good fit and don't even want to run their credit? Or can you?
But you don't know. Do you? You're describing prejudice and bias.
Avoid the temptation to make decisions based on the subjective.

EVERY applicant has to clear the same hurdles.
Start with the financial stuff (DTI; adequate income; credit score, etc).
That's usually enough to filter out the problematic.
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Old 09-26-2012, 06:27 PM
 
Location: SE Florida
9,367 posts, read 25,171,575 times
Reputation: 9454
If you looked at my car, you would not rent to me. If you walked into my house or saw my desk when I leave work each day, you'd give me a deal on the rent.

I use a combo of credit and instinct. Instinct has proven to be more accurate.

I'm both a landlord and a renter. My tenants had good credit, but have paid on the last day of the grace period or late (25% of the time). My LL did not run a credit check, even when I offered to give him my credit report, didn't check my credit and has gotten paid on the first every month.
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Old 09-26-2012, 08:24 PM
 
4,918 posts, read 22,643,111 times
Reputation: 6303
Quote:
Originally Posted by plscuba View Post
But how do you turn someone down if you know they will not be a good fit and don't even want to run their credit? Or can you?
You just do it. So long as you are not violating any federal or state discrimination or housing law, the reason you accept or reject an applicant is yours.

The reason this gets sticky is because the landlord is too much a whimp to tell the person why. They come up with their own rules for their own benefit, yet when it comes time to tell the aplicant, they are too whimpy to tell them. My feeling si if your using some arbitray personal reason, at least have the guts to tell the person why your rejecting them.

But many landlrods aren;t liek me, so what you need to do is adopt a policy that eliminates as much challanegs as possible and that ususally meas a simple thing like a policy of taking applications without any fees (thats when it gets sticky) so there is nothing binding or covered by laws and you simple pick whomever you like based on your own personal reasons and pretend they were the first and thats why they have it. Once you make that preliminary decission, now you go ahead and do the official application process with checks and deposits.

(As an FYI, that messy car belief is about as rational as picking brunettes over redhead cause redheads are rowdy, it' stupid as stupid gets!))
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Old 09-26-2012, 10:28 PM
 
Location: Kailua Kona, HI
3,199 posts, read 13,370,395 times
Reputation: 3421
Establish your policies - whatever is within the law is your choice such as 2.5 or 3 times the rent, FICO range of 600 to 700 or requiring a co-signor if x y z is not met etc. These policies should be in writing and handed out along with the application form. Cash only for the fee, is our policy by the way. I don't want to wait until someone's check clears, or worse yet, it bounces, to go on with the process.
Yes, I would ask for a valid and current ID.

We try to ask 3 basic questions when people call about an ad, which screens out a lot of people who are not going to qualify. 1. Do all adults have good credit? (because all adults must be named on the lease and all must qualify equally) 2. Do you have proof of income such as pay stubs, tax returns, regular deposits of retirement into your bank account? (people who work for cash and don't pay their taxes - not someone that i want to do business with) 3. Do you have rental history? (this we will disregard if they have just sold and moved here but everything else better be top drawer)

then, treat everyone the same way every time in every way. period.
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Old 09-26-2012, 10:37 PM
 
35,095 posts, read 51,103,864 times
Reputation: 62664
Quote:
Originally Posted by plscuba View Post
I know that you need to be fair/equal/etc with everyone.... to set standards and apply them to all, etc... that's easy and clear cut with things like making 3x the rent per month, credit score of XXX or above ...

But how do you turn someone down if you know they will not be a good fit and don't even want to run their credit? Or can you?

i.e. we are looking for a clean tenant... and in a magazine article (put out by our association) it says to look at their car. If their car is a complete mess, chances are they live like that as well. In this case, we would not want to rent to them. What's the law then? Do you have to accept the application anyways?

They also recommend to take their picture + look at their D/L, since people who are just trying to scam you will run the other way if you request that. I would feel awkward asking to take their picture, but for sure will ask for the D/L. Input on that?

And another question - accept application money in what form? Cash/mo only?

Thanks in advance, it's been a while since we've had to deal with this part of being a landlord. If it matters, we are in CA.

I am a great renter and always have been, rent has always been paid on time in full each month, home is clean, repairs needed are reported immediately, the lawn work is always done and I will at times pay 3 - 6 months rent in advance. My vehicle currently is a complete mess, I have things in it that need to go to Goodwill or Salvation Army, I have trash in it from a weekend trip that I have yet to clean out, I have items purchased at the office supply store and the auto parts store that need to be brought in the house and I haven't washed my vehicle for about 4 months. My vehicle is usually spotless and empty however, I got sick about 3 months ago and was sick for 2.5 months so the vehicle cleanliness went to hades in a very short period of time and I have way more important things to deal with inside my home at the moment so the vehicle will get done when it gets done.
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Old 10-01-2012, 01:56 PM
 
5 posts, read 7,152 times
Reputation: 16
1. always verify the applicant on the form with a DL - too many undesirables try to use their kids or siblings names on the application - especially those with eviction records
2. check your state laws on not accepting applications; in Chicago I can deny anyone for any reason because I have four or less units for rent
3. once you take the application $$ you MUST run the application; unless you return the $$ and application with letter of 'found someone already, forry'
4. don't be greedy or stupid - if someone wants to pay up front and starts waving 4 months rent in cash in your face - something's wrong!
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Old 10-01-2012, 05:45 PM
 
27,206 posts, read 46,641,661 times
Reputation: 15661
I agree with the OP...usually when the car is a pig stall the house will be kept the same...

Maybe that is judge mental but it is what we see, on the other hand we also know that some tenants borrow a car to come across better as we have experienced in the past.

We always ask for. Cash or money order for an application and a copy of the drivers license to avoid ID theft.
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Old 10-01-2012, 07:23 PM
 
Location: Nebraska
1,481 posts, read 1,374,040 times
Reputation: 1532
Quote:
Originally Posted by plscuba View Post
I know that you need to be fair/equal/etc with everyone.... to set standards and apply them to all, etc... that's easy and clear cut with things like making 3x the rent per month, credit score of XXX or above ...

But how do you turn someone down if you know they will not be a good fit and don't even want to run their credit? Or can you?

i.e. we are looking for a clean tenant... and in a magazine article (put out by our association) it says to look at their car. If their car is a complete mess, chances are they live like that as well. In this case, we would not want to rent to them. What's the law then? Do you have to accept the application anyways?

They also recommend to take their picture + look at their D/L, since people who are just trying to scam you will run the other way if you request that. I would feel awkward asking to take their picture, but for sure will ask for the D/L. Input on that?

And another question - accept application money in what form? Cash/mo only?

Thanks in advance, it's been a while since we've had to deal with this part of being a landlord. If it matters, we are in CA.
What would you do if they didn't own a car?
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Old 10-02-2012, 07:07 AM
 
Location: Simmering in DFW
6,952 posts, read 22,645,188 times
Reputation: 7296
I refuse to take an application from anyone unless its the tenant I want. I tell everyone I am showing for the next 2 days and I use emails to note who asked to see the house first, so regardless of appt. time I will offer an app by order of email request to see the house. So everyone who sees the place should let me know if they want to apply and everyone is told that w/i 48 hours I will send them an application or let them know if the house is committed to someone else. I actually follow this rule for myself. After I have shown the house for a couple of days I will reflect on each potential applicant by order of initial contact and offer an application to the first one I think meets my requirements. If that one fails, I keep going.

This works in my market because I usually receive about 30 inquiries within 2 days of posting a vacancy.


btw, I only have one tenant that keeps the place tidy inside. I am pretty disappointed in housekeeping standards of my tenants and always surprised a couple of months after renting to a put-together professional tenant when I go inside and the place looks like hell. My worst was my tenant who was a doctor with a SAHM and 3 kids. I once walked thru and saw a piece of layer cake on the floor! Throughout the years I have learned to chill about most of these things. I do insist the outside always looks nice and the inside is safe and pest free. But all my tenants but one are very sloppy....everyone pays on time, and that's what counts!
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