Essentials Of The Tenant Screening Process: You Should Be Familiar With This 5 Step Process

When trying  to find a good prospective tenant it is essential to be mindful of certain considerations. During a screening process, a landlord is trying to glean as much information about the prospective tenant in order to find out if they are someone they would like to rent to. There are different stages of screening that will enable you to know the prospective tenant better even if they try to hide some things.

#Stage one- First contact

This is the first time the landlord and tenant get to meet each other. During this encounter, questions can be asked and also the landlord will get the chance to access the physical features of the tenant. Red flag signs can also be looked for at this point in time like tattoos, piercing, body language or whether the individual is aggressive from the way they communicate. But be mindful not to discriminate a tenant by their looks.

#Stage two- The showing

After being satisfied with the first encounter you had with the tenant, you can go on by scheduling a date to show the property. It is also necessary to continue looking for signs to know whether the individual is good or not. From the way they access the property, you will be able to know if they love it and how well they might be able to take care of your property.

#Stage three- The application

This is the part where you give the tenant an application form to fill out. This is also a major way to assess the tenant and know whether they are being honest or not. Red flags can also show up at this point so be watchful to detect any. From the application, you will get to see references from previous landlords, criminal records, and credit reports. You still can ‘t rely fully on the application they fill out so you still have to do your homework to find out more about the information written on the forms. You can even call previous landlords or employers to cross-check whether the information is reliable.

#Stage four- Approval process

If you think you can handle a tenant or they have good qualities, you can go ahead to accept them and decline the ones you don’t approve of. In the process of rejecting a tenant’s application, do it gently and with utmost respect.

#Stage five- Lease signing

After going through all these above stages and are completely okay and satisfied with a tenant, with the agreement that they clearly understand the contract terms and they are willing to abide by them, you can go ahead to sign all necessary documents. But if by any chance you still are not satisfied with the tenant, you are free to decline.

Conclusion

Let’s face the fact that most landlords find it difficult to decline tenant’s application because some can get emotional or even try to negotiate their way through. That is why as a landlord, you should set your goals right and stick to them to prevent yours from being a victim of a pretty faced tenant.