Real life stuff:

Did 2- 2Minute In Home Visits prior to final approval today.

#1 Took 1:28. I took a video to show at Convention. 2 super nice Standard Poodles. Clean, neat, home smelled nice...looked like owners. Guy has an AWESOME collection of movie posters and memorabilia. They don't want to move but the LL is losing the house to foreclosure. Happy to bring these folks aboard!

#2 Wowza! THIS is why we do it! As soon as I spotted the house numbers I knew this would be bad. Buncha junk just throw out at the curb, not in a pile.

3 giant signs taped to the front door NO TRESPASSING, GUARD DOGS, WE SHOOT INTRUDERS...

More warnings taped to the mailbox and house numbers.

Dogs had chewed EVERY door and door trim, even dug a hole in the hardwood floor! Coffee table in front of the TV was badly scarred because the giant bulldog likes to jump on it. The 2 HEAVY dogs were all over ALL the furniture.

Q: Were these door gouges here when you moved in?

A: These dogs did not ruin the doors.

Q: Do you have photos to prove the doors where like this when you moved in?

A: No, it was our former dogs who did that, not these dogs.

WHAT!!!???

They wanted one of our prettiest grand houses with gorgeous original doors & trim, and freshly refinished hardwood floors. I keep this house because I'd like to use it as a really nice office some day. They would have totally RUINED it!

Saved me!

After you go through the whole application with a prospective tenant and then do this in home inspection I have a question.

How do you tell them "Hey you are a slob, you are now denied" in a nice way.

In some situations I would imagine they would be very angry since they might be ready to move, their current lease now terminated because they think they are moving and now have no place to live. I get it, their feelings don't matter because they are pigs.

Thanks for the story, Brad. It affirms the in-home visit process, which is a must in this day of folks who lie with no thought except how to get keys and land lords who either lie or refuse to provide more than a ledger.

Excited to see the video at the Convention!

Anna

I let people know they've been denied by sending their application back to them with a "check off" sheet explain the reason for the denial.

This is why I make sure the address they provide on their application is accurate (well, I ask them; if they lie on this I figure it's not my problem).

I've had the truly desperate call even before I've had a chance to run the credit check (this is a big red flag; usually means they're about to be evicted or have been and haven't told me so). I've been known to block phone numbers of these folks while they are waiting for the mail to hit them with the denial info.

Anna, when I do my in home visits, I don't ask questions, I'm just using my observational skills. Applicants will offer up enough information on their own. In fact, the quieter I am, the more they seem to offer. I don't want to make any potentially adversarial comments, including my demeanor. I paste a tepid smile on, as I am known to have 'resting B face.'

I tell applicants as I hand out the application 'I pick up the application at your house. How you keep your house now is how you'll keep my house.'

Oops- forgot to say, take the application. Give negative news over the phone or by text, when safely away. Do NOT give any reason for denial, unless required by law.

Good applicants won't have these glaring obstacles. Undesirable applicants will argue, plead, and try to wear you down. Good applicants look at themselves, and FIX the issues.

Anna, the in home visit is the LAST step in screening. If applicant give out a false address, it won’t match address on credit bureau, and they won’t have copy of current lease. At that point, I would stop and Inform them that application had been denied based on inconsistencies in application.

As for rejecting them because of poor housekeeping: telling them directly is required. But mocking, ridiculing, or expressing outrage are clearly wrong.

Disco, I'm curious as to why telling them directly that their housekeeping is the issue is required.

For me, I want to be safely away if I have to give bad news. As for the housekeeping, I am thinking they know their housekeeping leaves something to be desired. I prefer to leave them wondering what specifically got them rejected, so maybe they will 'clean up' many things in order to pass the next landlord's criteria. (Clean up house, debts, manners, credit, many things. Of course, if credit is the reason , they have to be told in writing.)

Just curious. Maybe telling them the housekeeping was the reason for denial might be better for tenant training. By my way of thinking, good tenants will figure that out for next time. Undesirable tenants, if given that information ( nasty housekeeping,) will think they have a 'right to cure' and call back until I block their number. And, might clean up there place better before the next landlord does an in home check, but, I want them 'cleaning up' anything they can think of (debts, manners, especially with family and neighbors, credit, everything,)

Darn autocorrect! Sisco . Computer systems, not 70's dancing!

Busy, you know how lying goes....it always snowballs. I tell people that “the application didn’t pass” if asked, I tell them the in home inspection was the issue, wish them well, and block their number.

Haha! DISCO! Love it!

Anna,

Timid Landlords Raise Skinny Kids. Gotta stand up for our businesses.

In this case the damage was so severe it could not be ignored. I simply asked “Did your dogs do this damage?”

As we walked out on the porch to end the visit he knew the visit did not look good. He asked so I explained my job is to take these pictures back to the office and THEY make a decision, “But Joe, you realize these pics don’t look good. “

He did leave a message asking for a second chance. I HIGHLY suspect he has been asked to leave.

Pics: When I come to the door and introduce myself (not my real name!) I say I’m here to do a quick walk thru and snap some pictures for the office, just making sure you’re not cooking meth in the kitchen (grin). They always laugh and that relaxes them because they are naturally nervous.

I’m very low key , just a guy out doing a job.

I ABSOLUTELY want pics as evidence for denial if challenged later!! We print the pics and attach them to their app, keep the original app for 2 years, then scan for long term storage.

This one visit, 5 minites away from my office and probably 5 minutes long due to shuffling the dogs from room to room then getting them to sit still for a photo, saved me THOUSAND$$$ and a world of grief and stress, possibly destroying one of my favorite properties.

BRAD

Reminder:

If the Outside looks like Crap, (advertising)

Brad, you got skills!!

If they want to know why we tell them

-the office did not approve your application. (note we never say YOU were turned down)

-submit a self addressed stamped envelope to the office if they require more information. I've never seen one.

Adele, RB has the best advice on in-home visits. Sometimes the drive by tells all....