Seasoned landlords understand the ups and downs of renting their property to tenants. They know that the process can be a walk in the park while at times it can be a real fight with the devil. From tenants who destroy property to those that default in payments, letting the wrong tenant occupy your property can be a real nightmare. But all hope is not lost since with proper tenant references, the landlords can increase their chances of having a good tenant and avoid all the headaches brought by the bad ones.
In the present times, tenant referencing forms a crucial part of the tenant verification process and any landlord who is keen on getting a good tenant should never ignore it. In some instances, tenant referencing becomes the only way for the landlord to know if the prospective tenant gave wrong or incomplete information while filling up the tenant application form. Through thorough referencing, the landlord will also be in a position to know if their potential tenants lack reliability, have anger management problems, are of poor character or any other detail that might not be apparent from the tenant application form.
The ideal references that the landlord should consider during the tenant screening process should be landlords or property owners who had previously offered their property for rent to the applicants. In order to determine the authenticity of the reference, the landlord can verify the ownership with the public records and contact at least two most recent references.
The important information to be considered while contacting the references is whether the tenant was prompt in paying the rent, how well they lived with the neighbors and if they damaged any property. It’s also important to know if they broke any terms in the lease agreement. Depending on the information given by the references, one can easily pick up red flags and avoid renting out property to someone who is likely to be troublesome in the future.
The other references can include the current employer of the prospective tenant. These are especially useful in giving relevant information about the tenant income and their overall character and personality.
Though tenant referencing as part of the tenant verification process can be very hectic and demanding, it will be useful in the long run as it will sift the bad tenants from the good ones and make the landlord enjoy renting out their property.