--70.168.x.xxx

Keep being vigilant about who you choose, better to have an empty rental for a few weeks than to get the wrong people in there who will create nothing but headaches and damages. --72.199.xx.xxx

Yep, it's a real crapshoot out there right now. I also just received an inquiry from a FB user that had a big picture of his face on his page with the teardrop tattoos big as life. Thanks for helping me quickly see who you are! --73.25.xx.xxx

Thanks JB and Blonde, on FB many of the inquires are just" is this place available" and yes JB I do review the profiles. If there is something I don't like, then I don't even reply. On Craigslist, I think I received a better response but not sure about the guy in the housefire. Last thing I want is my property set ablaze. Very scary the prospects out there right now for us private landlords. --70.168.x.xxx

No deadbeats allowed. --73.120.xx.xxx

Try reposting w higher rent. CL is useless for me and I have not done fb. Why not give zumper a try? --172.58.xxx.xx

Better vacant than wrong. --67.43.xxx.xxx

No Small Potatoes, I am not considering these applicants. They are not really even applicants (just inquiries). I am very small landlord so I do not have any electronic system currently in place. I have been reading about Google Forms on this website. I will have to look into it. Sisco, I agree whole heartedly. The boyfriend had the nerve to tell me I could "evict his girlfriend" for cause if needed. Not a word a landlord ever wants to hear during a screening. Thank you all for sound advice! Stay safe and be well. --70.168.x.xxx

Long ago I learn how much more expensive it can be to rent to a marginal tenant than it is to keep the unit vacant. You're wise to not lower your standards. --71.174.xxx.xx

I sure do like hearing though folks are using FB for screening --24.101.xxx.xx

Craigslist is a train wreck. Facebook Marketplace is the compost pile it crashes into. If it makes you feel better, I have had a vacancy since June. Lots and lots of the types you describe trying to get in the door. They are definitely more aggressive now. Get good screening criteria and stick to it. So far my saving grace has been a 700 credit score. Not even an issue for the good tenants but the bottom feeders won’t come close. As mentioned, prescreen. I don’t do google forms. You can just write it up in the notes on your phone and send it to them from there. No conversation needed until they pass that prescreening. --75.133.xxx.xx

--186.233.xxx.xx

Take your ad down for a few days while you work on your paperwork. Then relist for more money and hopefully that will slow down the deadbeat calls and bring in a little better class of possible renters. Better empty than rented to the wrong person. --172.56.xx.xx

Try different websites where google to find websites which have rentals. Often the source of ads will bring in different types of applicants. Be sure to include in ad that will provide rental applications to all adults as this eliminates problem tenants who will avoid credit checks. Right now and future it is going to difficult to evict problem tenants. In the province of Ontario most rental housing providers will not even go near anyone with credit score below the seven hundreds. Housing for some they think that should be a right no matter what problems they cause. Illegal drug dealers are the worse type of applicants. Here there is gun control where it is common for drug dealers to have illegal hand guns. Most of problems in larger cities are related to gang activity where people getting shot is common. Had someone come around where they were holed up in mothers basement with his girlfriend where he said a credit check on his girlfriend was not possible. It sounds like a movie where the bad people are holed somewhere. He called a few months later where told him would provide rental applications for all adult applicants. For problem tenants getting evicted along with trashing out is a way of life like the videos on You Tube tenants from hell. --147.194.xxx.xx

Whats funny i had my wifey do it this time around. "Why are people idiots!? Can't they read the ad/description? I'm tired of people asking if its available." Welcome to my life all summer long.... --76.77.xxx.xxx

I used Zillow (because of the anonymous email function) and I never listed my phone number. Made it very easy to not have people bothering me. Then they changed their policy and started to charge for advertising. First ad free and then a charge after that. Most responses were 'is it available'. Like you Tim, I thought it was very strange all of them said the same thing. I found out by having a friend apply to my ad that it was a BOX that could be checked. Duh. Everyone checked the box, not realizing it would send a message to my email, not just check for availability. I started replying, 'yes, do you want an appointment to see it?' and most of them never responded. waste of my time. Still like Facebook with the link to their page to see just who they 'are'. --72.199.xx.xxx

Stick to your guns and follow your gut. It cost to much time and money to fix the unit backup and market again after a bad tenant. --108.87.xxx.xxx

Try Zumper you can even list it w just cross st and no address. Then look up how to get a Google voice # and set up the vmail. Do you have a Gmail account? --72.10.xxx.xxx

--73.61.xx.xx