Recent applicant was approved based on her W2 income. She also makes about $300/week doing hair weaves and eyebrow threading. She wants the house.

At the 2 Minute In Home Visit (VERY clean) we discovered she has a live in boyfriend. We told her he needs to complete an app, no charge because our fee covers two adults.

It's been two days and no app from the BF.

We DID look up his name in court records - DUI, possession of weed, eviction back in 2013. No biggies.

Anyone can bring in a BF after we sign the lease without our knowledge.

And she can pay the rent based on her income...

Should we ignore the boyfriend and sign a lease?

Would the real BRAD 20,000 please stand up.

Brad20K,

I would be concerned about his "morals"....although weed is commonly legal in many states now...this and the DUI indicate to me that he'd be willing to lie, steal, and not take care of the property. I'd either pass or at least get extra security such as double deposit. I would stand firm on getting an application from him. If she says she broke up with him just so she didn't have to have him apply...I would look elsewhere...probably not the truth.

It would a pass for me.

Bad start at the gate on the 2 minute home visit.

If you take her on her income only and they have a breakup and she moves out and sticks you with him and no income to pay rent, what will you do?

Discovering the boyfriend who wasn't listed on the application, isn't that one of the reasons we do home visits?

No, we don't ignore the boyfriend.

Eviction have a balanced owed to old LL? If so - that is a Hard NO.

As you said, anybody can move in a boyfriend after the fact, or get married, etc…

I’d run his info to verify there is nothing worse on his record (no domestic violence).

If he does not qualify but is otherwise acceptable (no history of violence) I would consider just doing the lease with her. This way she can make him leave if she wants to and he can’t refuse because he is not the tenant. It gives her more power over the situation.

I have gotten upstanding female tenants with loser boyfriends from time to time. I don’t put them on the lease because I do not want a legal or formal relationship with them.

The only inconvenience it has ever caused is having to change the locks at the tenants request when they get rid of them. Oh and some knuckle marks in the front steel door from pounding but all chargeable to the tenant.

We had a similar situation with a husband and wife. Wife qualified on her own with her W-2.

She did not want her husband to be on the lease and didn't want his credit screened. He lives out of town, will only be coming for a few days a year, I qualify on my own income, etc...

Our policy is to screen each and every adult's criminal history and if he was going to be coming home every weekend, he would need to be on the lease.

His criminal checked out fine and we didn't screen his credit (as we assumed it was terrible).

Fast forward 2 weeks into renting the home the husband is now living full time in the home.

We are glad we followed our established procedures and now both names are on the lease and we know the criminal background of all adults in the property.

Perhaps your applicant is concerned that he won't meet your criteria and she'll loose the home so that is why he is dragging his feet?

73.103.xxx.xxx = It's Brad 20,000 alright !

My lease stats that any guest staying a total of 10 days during any year period, is no longer allowed on the property. If they say beyond the 10 days, this is a violation of the lease. Then if the tenant allows them to stay longer, they must complete an application and pay and extra $100 per month for the additional occupant.

So of my lease say 25% extra per additional occupant or $250, which ever is greater.

I don't think this is Brad either but to someone's point use her name only, DONT DO IT. I tried that with a BF that had a criminal record for felony wounding a family member plus he was an alcoholic. Her pathetic assurances that he was respectful and quiet were the 2nd biggest lie she ever told!

The FIRST biggest lie she told was to the cops when I called and reported them for fighting with her screaming every breath & she denied it completely.

So she left after I told them to get out and I was stuck with him even though he was not on the lease, he cussed my husband and told the cops he paid rent & got mail there.

Don't be stupid like I was.

What do your policies and procedures say about this?

Yes it’s really me! Ya’ll know me too well!

Thanks for your input!

You all know I’m about “reading” the times and adapting. Times are a Changan’ right before our eyes. We MUST “see” and adjust. MY market is not the same as last year.

The only thing constant in business is change.

Her app and BF are typical of what we have to work with. Even the “green” apps (we rank them red, yellow, green for go) have “issues” or complications.

Thinking out loud - I realize she left him off. If I denied her because of that who knows how many more would be denied but we did not know.

HIS court record of DUI and possession of weed are soooo minor and sooo common- just a slap on the wrist and pay the lawyer and court fees. O thing violent or criminal, just puddly offenses.

If you knew how many of your residents have weed or do drink while driving you could not sleep at night. It is absolutely everywhere, even legal all around us. He just got caught.

His eviction was older than our 5 year limit.

(I don’t care if they have not paid their old LL. That just tells me that LL does not know or want to do collections. Some here say they don’t bother chasing old debt. )

Screening is mostly about their ability to pay the rent. SHE can and has a good rental history.

This home is a free standing homemade house kinda in the country. Not exactly attracting stellar applicants. Doubt it will ever attract a green app.

The hair thing- that’s one or two clients a week. Takes several hours so no traffic to speak of.

I will call her and talk about the BF. Get some casual info.

BRAD

Yes it’s really me! Ya’ll know me too well!

Thanks for your input!

You all know I’m about “reading” the times and adapting. Times are a Changan’ right before our eyes. We MUST “see” and adjust. MY market is not the same as last year.

The only thing constant in business is change.

Her app and BF are typical of what we have to work with. Even the “green” apps (we rank them red, yellow, green for go) have “issues” or complications.

Thinking out loud - I realize she left him off. If I denied her because of that who knows how many more would be denied but we did not know.

HIS court record of DUI and possession of weed are soooo minor and sooo common- just a slap on the wrist and pay the lawyer and court fees. O thing violent or criminal, just puddly offenses.

If you knew how many of your residents have weed or do drink while driving you could not sleep at night. It is absolutely everywhere, even legal all around us. He just got caught.

His eviction was older than our 5 year limit.

(I don’t care if they have not paid their old LL. That just tells me that LL does not know or want to do collections. Some here say they don’t bother chasing old debt. )

Screening is mostly about their ability to pay the rent. SHE can and has a good rental history.

This home is a free standing homemade house kinda in the country. Not exactly attracting stellar applicants. Doubt it will ever attract a green app.

The hair thing- that’s one or two clients a week. Takes several hours so no traffic to speak of.

I will call her and talk about the BF. Get some casual info.

BRAD

Pat VA,

You missed the part where I said I would insist he be screened before allowing him to be more than a visitor. I don’t accept anyone with any history of domestic violence, period.

Okay Brad, I get what you saying: Adapt or Die.

I can see putting her on the lease as leaseholder and him as "Additional Occupant."

I have a couple of places like that. At one place, the BF comes here every year to work the summer season but he won't be here all year - J1 visa. So he is listed as "Additional Occupant" and I required an application, an ID, proof of income but I did NOT run a credit or background check (except my own searching of local criminal histories.)

I reject for lies on the application. So I'd be done at that point.

If he had applied with her, I would have rejected them because he didn't qualify and I can't see any reason to then change my policy and accept him because he tries to sneak in.

I'm w Lisa FL, I will give the female tenant the option of adding said loser bf to the lease or not, but I would not start off a rental that way. Brad,

sounds like this house is one that you might want to shed from your portfolio.

This home is a free standing homemade house kinda in the country. Not exactly attracting stellar applicants. Doubt it will ever attract a green app.

Brad20K,

I just rented my last vacancy to a similar couple except my couple was married (at least they claimed to be). Go ahead and rent to this woman, you have my permission.

I'm not so concerned with live-in boyfriend. That's how the young folks do it these days. "Try before you buy....and that's assuming you ever buy!"

Anyway, loose morality aside, the thing that bugs me about this is their not taking timely action on your request. To me, that would fail the "Cooperative" test, and per Mr. LL/Jeffrey I screen only for cooperative tenants.

Sure we run our 19 point criteria but there is no BF registry. And BFs come and go.

She can be good on day one , get the keys, then fall in love on day 2.

These type of compromises remind of a long ago poster Nancy. She and her husband built a successful portfolio of properties over years of hard work then Detroit turned sour. Didn't work out well.

Are these poor quality tenants a temporary situation? Is it time to shift to a neighborhood were quality tenants want to live?

Our policy is EVERY adult 18 and over must fill out an application, be APPROVED and sign the lease.

If they don't cooperate on this point, we don't want them.

Have a female tenant who has been with me for almost a year. She found a BF. Told me about him and asked if he could move in. I made him fill out an application but didn't put him on the lease.

No big problems from him except he likes to smoke his weed when he gets home from work. Lots of weed it seems. It's a duplex and the other tenant is a school teacher on the straight and narrow. She doesn't want to go to school smelling of the stuff.

Told tenant her BF needed to stop. Explained why. She agreed and asked if he could still smoke in his car. It's not legal in Indiana, so that's all on him.

He passed the criminal background check. Filed for divorce and then BK years ago. Only trouble with the law seems to be fishing without a license.

She is a good tenant. As long as her guest plays by the rules she will remain a good tenant.

Well I guess it isn't as good as I thought. Mini update is I filed eviction on her because the adjacent apartment smelled of weed so bad.

Tenant decided to get mouthy with me. Sad situation for her. She should have been served by now, although I told her what was happening.

Texted me last night asking if I would halt the eviction, so it wouldn't show up. She claims to have found a place they can be in by the 30th. I said she had to pay the court costs, attorney, etc. Plus reminded her that she did not pay rent. She told me in her huffy stage that she wouldn't pay it. So that needs paid plus late fees before the first court date on the 15th. Claims she will make it by then. I have my doubts.

Then I get a text this evening that her ac quit. I have not replied. I am not in town. She has not paid rent. I don't think I must supply AC to her. She has window units already. Plus she already told me that she is holding weed for her BF.