standards, then I can’t rent my place to you.”
Simple, and straightforward. The other great part about this is some sketchy tenants will put themselves out of the game when they understand the requirements and that you’re serious. “Um, you know what? I’m actually not interested,” they’ll quickly say, and hang up, saving you time now, and possible headaches down the road.
INFORMAL BACKGROUND CHECKS
Something else you can do to avoid red flags and weed out “bad apples” is to do information background checks via social media. Social media can give out more information than people care to admit. If you know their name, and city, look them up on Google, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter, etc., and see what you find. Maybe “Phillippe Babineaux” (name for example only) called about pets, found out about your no-pet policy, agreed with it, but you see picture after picture of him and his multitude of dogs, cats, birds, and turtles. Or maybe he’s a partygoer and substance abuser who gets himself into risky situations or in trouble with the law. A picture says a thousand words!
DRIVE PAST THEIR RESIDENCE
Finally, consider driving by to check out their current place of residence. Don’t let them know ahead of time or even at all; just do a casual, unexpected drive-by. You want to learn how they take care of a property naturally, without preparing for guests. What does it look like? What’s the condition? How well is it being taken care of and maintained? Some particular items to pay attention to include the yard, their car, and the noise level. Check to see if they have any cars being worked on in the driveway—something you know your neighbors won’t be too
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