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The potential renter has a credit score in the low 700s. She has adequate income for the rent but not with a substantial cushion. I'm generally satisfied with her screening result except her last landlord in another state told me she broke her one year contract after she lost her job. She stayed at that landlord's property for six months and has since been staying with her relative in my state for the past four months.
She told me she relocated because she wanted to stay closer to her family.
Is this history of contract breaching a big red flag?
The potential renter has a credit score in the low 700s. She has adequate income for the rent but not with a substantial cushion. I'm generally satisfied with her screening result except her last landlord in another state told me she broke her one year contract after she lost her job. She stayed at that landlord's property for six months and has since been staying with her relative in my state for the past four months.
She told me she relocated because she wanted to stay closer to her family.
Is this history of contract breaching a big red flag?
Which is worse leaving a contract because of no income or staying in the rental and not paying rent?
Depends on how she broke it. Did she give notice and pay the lease break fee? Did she leave the house in good condition and cooperate with helping them find a replacement tenant? Or did she just skip in the middle of the night? Big difference.
Which is worse leaving a contract because of no income or staying in the rental and not paying rent?
Exactly. I'd take a tenant who recognized there was a problem and acted to remedy it in the most responsible manner available over one who dug their feet in and made me evict them for nonpayment every day of the week.
Of course the latter is worse. But I'm not trying to pick the better of the two. I'm trying to avoid anything bad enough to be a red flag.
The point is that if they terminated the lease in a responsible manner, that is a GOOD thing, not a bad thing. It shows a level of responsibility that most tenants do not have.
Breaking the lease isn't always a bad thing. The details matter.
Then find someone else to rent to. Obviously this person is not good enough for you.
No, it is not obvious. That's why I'm asking around fellow landlords.
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