Criteria

If you have a list of criteria the applicant needs to meet, and this list is in your pocket but not visible to the prospective tenant.

Can you use items on the list to disqualify the tenant?

For example. If you have on your list that should the prospective teni make a lower priced offer on the home you are renting - their application will be submitted after all full price applications are considered.

Yes? No?

Because what if you know of or expect to have a full price offer delivered to you in one week's time.

(I'm entering gray area on purpose).

How about if their children are not behaving well. Say they slammed a door and you listed this behavior on your criteria point. (i.e. Opening closets, leaving the parent so to explore on their own, pulling the potted plants etc).

"My question is whether the teni need to know your criteria before they view your home?" I do not post my criteria. The more they know , they will be able to evade your questions and lie on the application.

I prescreen on the phone with a few straightforward questions?

YES/NO? foreclosure, bk, shortsale, eviction, repo

how many adults?

Pets? Breed and weight ?

Income amt and source?

Signed and motorized. That is a great idea.

I wasn't clear when I asked.

I want to be able to disqualify anyone who offers less for the rental. I'm specifically addressing the people who make offers and not the people who ask whether there are lower priced options.

I would like to simply put them to the back of the line behind other applications.

If the produce you are offering, the unit is in excellent shape in an excellent location and you are asking the highest market rent. THEN WHY discount the unit or make excuses for it or more so let the tenant make excuses for it. IF the tenant can not afford the unit go to the NEXT APPLICANT...

...Unless your rental pool market is an issue then maybe discount...

...Or location is less than desirable??? High Crime Area? High traffic/noise area??? Poorly maintained neighborhood???

You get two different types of tenants asking if you will reduce the rent. One can't afford the rent and that one will screen out on income and/or debt load.

The other is very careful with money and feels it never hurts to ask. I've seen more than one tenant forum advise the tenants to always negotiate for lower rent. That applicant, I might accept. Careful with money is a really good trait in a tenant. Constant haggling is not a good trait. So, that one depends upon screening.

I just tell them that I know what is available on the market and I know what rents are, and I think my price is good. They always agree with me.

For my son's rentals, I tell them that he might reduce rent by $25 a month for a really good tenant with good credit, enough income, and excellent landlord references. That's usually the end of it.

Oregon, I don't like that either. If they ask once and drop the issue when I say no I overlook it but if people get pushy about alterations I decline them.

The two examples that you gave are typical of people who will in general not pass screening. I've found that asking for a reduction usually means that they either can't prove income or are paid under the table. And having kids who tear around unsupervised usually go hand in hand with people who "need a place really quickly", don't fully fill out the application, have a cousin who might be there a weekend or two a month, etc.

Yes, have your written criteria. I have no issues with telling the people who want a reduction that they are free to submit the application, but that you have other prospects and will give first preference to the applicants who are prepared to pay the full rental amount and who pass screening.

But I'd be really careful about kids - other than something quantifiable like property destruction during the tour, you'll have to scrutinize the rest of the app, plus do the old foot dragging act ("I'm sorry, we had a family emergency that made for a delay in processing your application" - they don't need to know that it was nothing more than a hangnail or a drippy faucet.)

Thanks,

In the case of the paint question. So if I have an automatic decline established in my criteria for "asking to paint".

If this is in my criteria and not shown ahead of time you understand this to be okay....within the rules?

thank you very very much.

You could put "tenant must agree to abide by the terms of the lease" and then have "no painting or modifying" in the lease.

But yes, you can put it into your criteria that you will reject for asking to paint. Amateur painters are not a protected class.