Shadow
Podcast

Best Practices For Screening Tenants Series

Rental Application

 

Part 1

Rental Application: Yes Or No?

The answer is a resounding YES.

You should require all tenant prospects to fill out an application. The business of real estate is done in writing and having an application and a consistently applied application process helps you as a landlord in several ways:

First, it sets you apart from other landlords (makes you look more organized and professional)–remember, you are competing with other landlords for good tenants!

Also, having pre-established and objective application criteria allows a landlord to justifiably reject a prospective tenant for any of the following reasons:

  • Credit history
  • Income
  • History of nonpayment of rent
  • Prior bankruptcies
  • References
  • Certain types of criminal convictions
  • Pets

Stay tuned to next weeks part 2, what information a landlord should collect on their rental application.