Rental Qualifications (by Jan [MO]) Mar 13, 2018 9:21 AM
Rental Qualifications (by David [MI]) Mar 13, 2018 10:14 AM
Rental Qualifications (by S i d [MO]) Mar 13, 2018 10:42 AM
Rental Qualifications (by David [MI]) Mar 13, 2018 10:44 AM
Rental Qualifications (by plenty [MO]) Mar 13, 2018 10:44 AM
Rental Qualifications (by Jan [MO]) Mar 13, 2018 11:01 AM
Rental Qualifications (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Mar 13, 2018 11:18 AM
Rental Qualifications (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Mar 13, 2018 11:30 AM
Rental Qualifications (by Landlord ofthe Flies [TX]) Mar 13, 2018 11:39 AM
Rental Qualifications (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Mar 13, 2018 11:51 AM
Rental Qualifications (by Mike SWMO [MO]) Mar 13, 2018 11:52 AM
Rental Qualifications (by NC INVESTOR [NC]) Mar 13, 2018 2:00 PM
Rental Qualifications (by Jason [VA]) Mar 13, 2018 3:11 PM
Rental Qualifications (by Jan [MO]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 9:21 AM Message:
I was surprised to read a few posts down that some of you specifically do not disclose rental qualifications, in writing or otherwise, before a prospect fills out an application. I have stated rental qualifications that I give all prospects who have seen the property -- and a few who have not yet seen it -- for the following reasons.
1. To protect myself legally by have written qualifications (and they are overall guidelines, not set in stone...) that apply to everyone.
2. To put prospects on notice about whether their application is/is not likely to be approved - no sense in their wasting time and money if they aren't qualified.
3. For prospects whom I'm certain are not qualified (case.net) to put them on notice about the qualifications in the hope they will realize they aren't qualified and not push for a showing. Ie, so I don't waste my time.
I'm wondering if others have stated rental qualifications or not. Please share your thoughts. I can't see much upside to not having them. Thanks.
--144.191.xxx.xx |
Rental Qualifications (by David [MI]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 10:14 AM Message:
I have rented three apartments before, one from a small mom n pop in IL and two from big complexes in MI. Each time I also looked at 3 or 4 other places so got info packets from 10-12 places (all big complexes or managed by big PM companies). I don't recall getting from any of those places a list of rental qualifications
This is a big red flag for me: "have written qualifications (and they are overall guidelines, not set in stone...) " You can't have it both ways, have written criteria, then say it is just "guidelines, not set in stone." That is setting you up for big mess if you decline someone for reason outside of the criteria.
As for wasting their time, that is what the phone pre-screen is for. Now thanks to this board, I now only consider W2 income, that has boosted the quality of applicants considerably
The big reason I don't want to post my criteria is that inevitability there is something I didn't think of , that an applicant will have and then I'm stuck --12.47.xx.xxx |
Rental Qualifications (by S i d [MO]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 10:42 AM Message:
I have a Qualification page on my website, as follows:
All adults (age 18 or up) who will be residents must complete an application and sign the lease if approved.
We are looking for residents who will always:
* Pay rent on time
* Keep the property clean and decent
* Obey the law
* Be good neighbors
If this sounds like you, APPLY TODAY!
I used to say, "We do credit and background checks" but that seems to scare away folks who had even tiny blips. I changed the wording when someone left me a voice mail saying they had one unpaid medical account but would we still consider them. Huh, turned out to be true, and yes I did accept them. Everything else (income, background, LL refs) were all good, and in a Class C tenants you know that's almost a perfect tenant. So I started wondering how many other decent tenants have I lost because they see "Credit Check" and they run away? --173.17.xx.xx |
Rental Qualifications (by David [MI]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 10:44 AM Message:
I got a chuckle from Sid's qualifications that aren't really qualifications but rather good advertisement --12.47.xx.xxx |
Rental Qualifications (by plenty [MO]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 10:44 AM Message:
Giving them the list doesn't protect you. It may actually set you up to be tested as now they know the "rules" --99.203.xx.xxx |
Rental Qualifications (by Jan [MO]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 11:01 AM Message:
Thanks to all that responded. I will no longer use stated rental qualifications based on this feedback as they may do more harm than good. Big apt. complexes used them, and they are posted all over the internet, so I thought that's how it should be done.
I'm a small time landlord with a couple class B properties. I will call a prospect on the phone and "interview" him or her to qualify them before scheduling a showing. If I'm not going to do rental qualifications, that interview seems to be even more critical.
What questions do you ask prospects on the phone to qualify them before scheduling a showing? In the past I have asked about the following:
- Income
- Credit
- Amount of rental history
- Amount of full time employment history
(I get lots of millennial applicants, thus the last two).
--144.191.xxx.xx |
Rental Qualifications (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 11:18 AM Message:
I'm just moving out of Oregon. The law used to be that written criteria must be on site and available to applicants if an application fee was charged.
The law was changed so that now a copy of the criteria must be handed out with every application. Quite irritating since my criteria is 6 pages long and I routinely hand out 50 or so applications with every vacancy. Most of them to disappear forever.
That's a lot of unnecessary printing. --174.216.x.xxx |
Rental Qualifications (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 11:30 AM Message:
My opinion is that a good thorough set of written criteria protects the landlord.
Be sure all your criteria are legal and be able to point to the exact reason the applicant was rejected that is not a violation of fair housing laws. Plus, you can make a case that the written criteria is applied to all applicants and you aren't using some sort of gut feeling that changes by the circumstances.
Plus, if the applicant has read the criteria and fusses, the only reason for rejection that you have to give to the applicant is "didn't meet the wRittenhouse criteria". --174.216.x.xxx |
Rental Qualifications (by Landlord ofthe Flies [TX]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 11:39 AM Message:
If you're a licensed agent, you should also put the Fair Housing disclosure "we do not discriminate based on .... " and the fair housing logo with link. It's required in some states and may be a good idea for others to CYA. --108.69.xxx.xxx |
Rental Qualifications (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 11:51 AM Message:
Yes, some of it is a guideline.
My criteria says, for example: applicants can be rejected for failing to fill the application out completely, and/or not providing sufficent information to do the screening. Applicants will be rejected if the information on the application is false.
Tell lies, and you are rejected. Leave off your car license plate number, and I might call a good applicant and ask for that information instead of rejecting. I don't go through my application line by line to say which incomplete information will get you rejected and put that into my criteria.
Leave off your current landlord's phone number and that is not providing sufficient information to do the screening. --174.216.x.xxx |
Rental Qualifications (by Mike SWMO [MO]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 11:52 AM Message:
Oregon Woodsmoke (ID)
Would it work to make your application available on the internet where they can go on line to get the application and also the criteria? Save a lot of trees.
--71.29.x.xx |
Rental Qualifications (by NC INVESTOR [NC]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 2:00 PM Message:
I have a specific list of qualifications regarding income, credit scores, application process, pets and pet fees, which criminal convictions we will not accept, smoking policy and a few minor items. This is attached as a cover sheet to the applications available at open house showings. --71.75.xx.xx |
Rental Qualifications (by Jason [VA]) Posted on: Mar 13, 2018 3:11 PM Message:
I don't tell anybody my qualifications, period. Why in the world would I give a potential tenant a cheat sheet to the questions I'm going to ask him?
If he already knows I don't rent to smokers, regardless if they "only smoke outside", how do you think they'd answer the following question: "How many smokers are in the household? Do they smoke inside or outside?"
You guessed it, they'd already know to lie about that.
Instead I ask the question. They tell me, "well I smoke, but I only smoke outside". Well I'm sorry, I don't rent to anyone that smokes, regardless of the location. Screening over.
--174.226.xx.xxx |
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