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We were lucky to find a place to rent without jobs. It depends what sort of people you think they are...do they have references of paying rent before? Do they have steady work histories?
These sort of things may work out (it's your choice). Sometimes good people need a break. Sometimes you wind up with scammers. It's hard to know what to do.
id lean on checking their referances, how well do they pay?? considor a month to month...understand you want someone that will be long lasting....and they will probably be that once they land their jobs....if they are able to give the deposit....and cant find work and haveto move....they are ones who will lose...their deposit...i doubt they would risk the loss if they wasnt sure they would find work, who can afford to lose deposits anymore?
I dont know....so many have to move to find jobs...and many with kids, who cant afford to live in a motel room while they search...let alone live in their car....most wont attempt to rent something that will be beyond their income that they can easily afford. if you check the work forums....you will see plenty are haven trouble or being turned down at jobs cuz they are not local....so many need to move to land these jobs....but need a roof over their head to....id say...check their history, their rent payment history at least...check how many jobs they have had...do they bounce from job to job or steady workers??? if yes...id say have a heart...give them a chance, if it dont pan out...then you gained their deposit...and they lost. sometimes we need to cut folks a sprout and help out when we can.....world might just become a better place.
and before i get slammed about deadbeats....it isnt just tenants...after all...they are putten thier trust and money in you....whos to say you would even have a house for them...alot of landlords scam and run to.
if you still want to pass on them......at least have a heart and direct them to some apts that have cheap deposits(most do), this way they will understand your position and see you as a nice helpfull person.
I would rent to them cause my mom rented to someone like them and they were her best tennants and they kept the place immaculate unlike some of the locals she had , had rent from her before .I remember one time she had two girls and they were pigs and then she rented to two boys and they were clean as clean could be .they even kept the corners of the floor clean . I hope you will reconsider and rent to them it is hard when you are making a interstate move and you cant get your ducks in a row so to speak .
You said you were looking at their apps and noticed that they had no contact info for their employers - did they list employers but not give any info, then tell you after you asked that they didn't actually have the jobs yet? To me that would be a big red flag that they lied on the app about where they work or even that they work.
I'm a renter and before I even turn my application in I like to go over anything that I feel may be a problem for landlord so they are aware and know that I am being upfront. In my opinion, it wouldn't be such a big problem if they would have explained that problem right off the bat instead of waiting until you discovered it.
You said you were looking at their apps and noticed that they had no contact info for their employers - did they list employers but not give any info, then tell you after you asked that they didn't actually have the jobs yet? To me that would be a big red flag that they lied on the app about where they work or even that they work.
The OP said in her first post that the applicants gave no info about employment and, as soon as she noticed it she asked them and only then discovered that they had just moved from out of state and were hoping to find jobs. There was no major "red flag" there except that the OP didn't notice the omission right at the beginning.
The "red flag" where many subsequent posters were concerned was that not only did they not have local jobs and were "hoping to find" them but that they only had enough money for one month's rent and one month's security.
Several people who answered the post with suggestions that the OP "give them a chance" had anecdotal experience on the other side of the fence but probably no experience as a landlord.
Even without the current state of the economy, renting to someone who comes from out of state in the hopes of finding a job in a new place and with only two months rent to hand is foolishness. The applicants' interests would be better served had they properly researched to where they were blindly moving with minimum $$s. Of course we don't know their whole story but when anybody ups and leaves to move to another state to look for work and accommodation it's best to have a few thousand dollars in hand or as back-up.
You can't be a bleeding heart when it comes to being a landlord. You CAN (and most do) allow some leeway when it comes to a long-time tenant who has always paid on time, has never been a problem but is just going through a bad spot and honestly asks for some leeway.
In any case, the OP has already decided to NOT rent to those particular applicants so it's pretty much a done deal.
Maybe at some time in the future we'll hear from someone who DID feel sorry for them and take them in and it all worked out just fine.
Then again we may in the future hear from someone who accepted them and got shafted big time when they didn't find jobs, got into yelling matches with each other, punched holes in the place, destroyed fixtures and furnishings and were eventually evicted. If that out of pocket landlord then goes to small claims court and sues both he will probably get a judgement against them but then the collection process is a problem.
I firmly believe that the OP did the right thing in denying the application.
Frankly, I think it's easier buying a house than renting based on some of these incredible posts I've read thus far. "Proof of stashed away income equal to a full year's rent"? Paying 6 months rent in advance (prior post)? How about proof that the landlord isn't going to be foreclosed upon in the next year or how about next month? How about proof that the landlord isn't mental or a pervert or a scam artist himself?
Have you tried doing a web search on their names ? Some transient renter scammers aren't smart enough to change names often enough and there may be some websites pop up with their names as well as the word scammers or scam. We just had a scammer from the UK send us a counterfeit check and we are playing him now and wasting his time. When I get bored with playing with this piece of trash I'll tell him where to ram his Nigerian spear just like I did to all the other scammers that have tried to scam us. They use a front company called Globalink or Global Link, supposedly an anti smoking organization. Emails come from the UK but they are Nigerian scammers. We just received the larger than required counterfeit check drawn on a closed account in a real 3 branch Florida bank. We called the bank and they confirmed that we were being scammed. They also use real peoples names on the checks and on the Global Link website to use for cover. They are slick but not slick enough to scam us. Landlords beware this is a new group of scammers that have only been operating for about 9 months.
frankly, i think it's easier buying a house than renting based on some of these incredible posts i've read thus far. "proof of stashed away income equal to a full year's rent"? Paying 6 months rent in advance (prior post)? How about proof that the landlord isn't going to be foreclosed upon in the next year or how about next month? How about proof that the landlord isn't mental or a pervert or a scam artist himself?
I would require proof of six months rent and then run their credit as well. If all checks out, I would say go for it. You can also do a month to month until they get a permanent job so that you can get them out easier. I have a tennant that moved in from Texas but they sold their home in Texas and had the cash from the home in a bank account. As long as you protect yourself you should be okay.
i contacted this couple and gave them lots of links for finding jobs in the area. i understand some of their situation, but the info was so confusing. one minute the guy had a job, the next, he didnt, another time he had 2, and when i asked the girl, she said neither of them had a job here. their stories didnt match. i still felt a little bad, but we dont want to take the risk, especially cause we have another applicant who has a squeeky clean renting record and she already has a substantial income. i asked my fellow LL if they wanted me to pass their name on to rent from them, and they all said no, they wont rent to anyone who doesnt have a job. i understand times are tough, but the move is not a necessary one, she just wants to live here near family, and they dont have the patience to get all their ducks in a row. if i were in a better situation financially, maybe i would take a chance on them.
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