So you would think we have all qualified tenants. But we dont. They yell at us on the phone, damage the apt, sneak in extra people, pets, smoke inside, leave all kinds of crap outside, refuse to leave when their lease is up.Bother the other tenants, refuse to take out the trash. Lease violations inside the apt, call the Board of Health on us, etc. There is no way to screen to see if the people that look great on paper are going to be non lease violating tenants. We have been at this for 20 yr, rented to hundreds of people. We still get it wrong, because there is no way to predict if people are going to violate the lease or not. Unless I am wrong? --73.227.xxx.xxx

COOPERATION is the #1 Tenant requirement. From the get-go. I don't care if they make 20x the rent, or ace any of the other stuff. --50.82.xxx.xx

720 is the MEDIAN score in this country. requiring 720 means just asking people to be in the top HALF! --144.250.xx.xx

I am a small time LL. I know some of the big places just don't tolerate it. It is tough-I don't want to police their every move. Complexes have management that notice(or should) fairly quickly new cars/accumulation of stuff outside/pets. I have had some really good people and some not good. i had a friend complain to me that her daughter was given notice to move. I asked a few questions-guess what happened? Yep, daughter moved someone in. Violated the lease. Didn't tell Mom that part right away. --73.230.xxx.xx

Someone who cannot be bothered to keep up a 720 credit score, well, thats the kind of people who "yell at us on the phone, damage the apt, sneak in extra people, pets, smoke inside, leave all kinds of crap outside, refuse to leave when their lease is up" --144.250.xx.xx

As per Roy Post "bottom of the barrel" not all of have properties that a 720 score will rent and that is home purchasing territory anyway. Our Properties are b and c class but kept up really well, freshly painted, refinished hardwood floors, dishwashers, laundry, storage, new windows, exterior painted, driveway parking, but the neighborhood or the city will only support so much pricing. Yes when they yell , they are given notice, but who can predict a screamer? --73.227.xxx.xxx

I do check credit, criminal and do my best to verify employment. They get comfortable. --73.230.xxx.xx

" that is home purchasing territory anyway." Not everyone who can qualify for a mortgage and afford a house will want to buy. --144.250.xx.xx

I recall when one of my elderly tenants was leaving her 3rd floor 2 bedroom unit to move into elderly housing, she apologized for not being able to wash the outside of the window above the sink. She washed & cleaned all the other windows but couldn't get the storm window in to do a proper job. --71.174.xxx.xx

Screen harder for both cooperation and entitlement mentality,when I intentionally started screening for entitlement mentality my tenant related problems and stress went down considerably. --72.231.xxx.xxx

No matter what their credit score is. --50.82.xxx.xx

Ken, I think you are right. I screen for compliance. During the interview process if there is any resistance to our policies, they are cut loose ASAP. But both cooperation and entitlement mentality is another thing I should be aware of, good point. Also any requests to alter the apt prior to move in, small changes are ok, but not major. Every apt is freshly painted prior to move in, any request to repaint is always denied. --73.227.xxx.xxx

Good points also, WMH [NC. --73.227.xxx.xxx

There is an ole saying that goes "you never know a woman until you marry her" and I feel pretty sure that applies to LL's and tenants also. --68.63.xxx.xxx

A few thoughts - do you personally meet with the prospects for a showing that pass your pre-screen? I know some LL’s on here like lock box showings, but I find meeting with prescreened tenants to do the showing in person a very valuable component of my overall screening process. Also, you can see how timely they are for the meeting. Another thought, I have found Facebook to be a valuable tool in prescreening. People tend to show their true colors on social media. --24.147.xx.xxx

everything else being equal, it's a no brainer to take the risk on a tenant with 700+ than one with 575. --144.250.xx.xx

I have considered presenting the prospect with a small issue and check their reaction. --67.43.xxx.xxx

sisco, I deliberately don't get a house spotless before showings ;) --144.250.xx.xx

There are no 2 tenants exactly alike. I tend to trust my own gut feelings about an applicant from just the way they communicate with me on very first phone contact. --68.63.xxx.xxx

I might suggest that some of your requirements are very strict and possibly people get annoyed when things go wrong with the apartment after all that you request of them. If you expect a lot of them, they in turn expect a lot of you. Apartments, being what they are, generally have problems with no instant fix. --173.61.xxx.xx

Roy, I know that you know exactly what the phrase "all else being equal." And I will take someone with a 720 over a 570, everyday and twice on sundays --50.4.xxx.x

Sisco, I have a small ‘stresser’. built into my screening process. When the tenants balks a bit, checks themselves ( stops their negative reaction from showing,) I then explain I am not perfect, and I do most of the tasks of managing the property. My repairs may not be perfect, nor do I expect perfection from them. Rather, if we can communicate, we’ll be able to make things work. Not perfectly, but well for both of us. This has worked well so far, but, I haven’t had that many years at this, only a small mom and pop operation. (Except pop isn’t involved.) --172.56.xx.xxx

WMH, you are a smart lady and I agree with what you are saying but I don't do online banking or bill paying because I don't feel comfortable with it or trust it for identity theft reasons. Would I be able to rent from you? There is no wrong answer I am just curios. I am trying to figure out how someone like me, who does not think it is a good idea to do these electronic transactions get by in today's world were it seems like everyone is requiring this way of doing things. I don't want to join them but it is an uphill battle. --73.120.xx.xxx

GOOD LUCK. --72.173.xxx.xxx

It helps me a lot to be a "streetwise landlord" and my training here came from one of the best streetwise LL's in the business,..no not Jeffrey,...but Jay DeCima in Redding, CA. Jay was one of my 1st mentors. --68.63.xxx.xxx

6x6 [TN], what are you scared of? ID theft for banking transactions? We have been using Clearnow of over 6 years, tally the transactions... Over 1800 transactions and not one single problem. Sorry you need to come out from under that rock and join the rest of us. --73.227.xxx.xxx

I once skipped over a prospect who didn't have a computer or a smart phone and had his friend looking online for him. I find it very difficult to deal with people who can't communicate electronically. --50.82.xxx.xx

I find it difficult to deal anyone who can't communicate the ole fashioned way,...with spoken words. If all you know how to do is send a Text,..I have no patience for you. --68.63.xxx.xxx

Guess we better not rent to each other, Roy. ;) --50.82.xxx.xx

How many times, just prior to running an app, have you said-- Oh I can tell this is the one. They're perfect. Dress nice, work hard, nice kids YADA YADA YADA and the report comes back---- they're related to jack the ripper!!!!! --99.103.xxx.xxx

--72.173.xxx.xxx

Count the money. Email only. Go on Vacation. --99.203.xx.xx

My top screening tool is stability. If they've been at the same job for a long time, or rented in the same place for a long time, chances are they'll be able to stay in your place for a long time too. The in-home visit is #2. I've had several people self-screen by declining, and I have several tenants whose homes I've taken pictures of for marketing purposes, they're that nice! --204.210.xxx.xxx

Talking on the phone with tenants is ridiculous. I have feeling that you have more than a little to do with these conflicts. --76.120.xx.xx

Based on my splattering inquiries of world history I think the perfect tenant was King Tut, since then the Romans corrupted the bartering program so badly Cleopatra would take the coins with her when she would visit Mark Anthony and chip away the facial recognition then repeat this upon arriving to meet with Ceaser - this was the world's first counterfitter... --76.188.xxx.xx

--73.120.xx.xxx

We are not perfect, but get it right 95% of the time. And when we fail, we do a "post mortem" to see what we did wrong that we could not uncover the behavior. --99.92.xxx.xxx

--68.63.xxx.xxx

Making the concept of cooperation ever more present these days, today while on the phone it was in the forefront how uncooperative some of the callers were. I have to answer the phone presently otherwise I would not bother but it is a chance to test their cooperativeness. Most callers get 10 seconds of my time. Most did not pass to the next level --73.227.xxx.xxx