Clair-sur-Elle Homes, LLC
Screening Tenants: What Matters Most
No single decision that you make as a landlord will affect the outcome of your property more than your choice of tenants.
When it comes to finding a tenant who will pay his or her rent on time, take good care of your property, and keep peace with the neighbors, some factors matter more than others. With this in mind, here is our prioritized list of things to consider during the screening process:Â
1. They Meet the Basic Requirements for Tenancy
While we will never screen tenants based on ethnicity, gender, disability, family status, or religion, we will reject a tenant who is not a good fit for your rental if they can't comply with your pet or smoking policies, if they have more than the allowed number of vehicles, or if they intend to occupy the property with more than the legally allowable number of occupants. In order to comply with Fair Housing regulations, we put all such requirements in writing, along with the rent and other fees you intend to charge, and give the form to any prospective tenants to have them sign and return along with their application.
2. Rental History
No matter how high a potential tenant's monthly income is, or how steady their employment, if a prospective tenant has a rental history that includes evictions, chronic late payments, disruptive behavior, or major property damage, we will bypass their application and proceed to the next candidate on the list.
3. Verifiable Income and Employment History
We require that the monthly rent should add up to no more than one-third of a prospective tenant's gross monthly income. Employment history is also a key factor, and if a candidate has just moved into the area and is in a new job, a history of steady employment becomes even more relevant.
4. Credit Score
When evaluating credit scores, keep in mind that people can have low credit scores for a variety of reasons. For example, if a prospective tenant has recently been foreclosed on, their credit will be adversely affected. However, they may have a stellar employment history and more than adequate monthly income to pay the rent on your property; they may have simply purchased a more expensive house than they could truly afford. When evaluating a credit profile, large amounts of credit card debt and/or extensive histories of late payments are the big red flags we look for.
5. Criminal Record
As with credit scores, not all criminal records are the same. Non-violent infractions committed several years in the past most likely have little to no relevance to a prospective tenant's ability to pay rent on time. However, you are certainly within your rights to not rent to someone with a criminal record, even if all other aspects of the applicant's profile look good, and that decision is entirely up to you.
