Bad tenants, apparently they are everywhere! Or at least that’s how it feels when you talk to other landlords or join Real Estate investing forums that involve landlording.
The problem is, it’s simply not as big of a problem as people make out to be.
Granted it’s more entertaining and it has become a wonderful past time to regale our friends acquaintances and other landlords with stories about our tenants from hell.
After all who wants to hear about the older couple who have been with you for three years and pay not only on-time, but typically two to four days early? Oh and they treat the yard better than I treat mine!
What about the fantastic tenant who’s been with you five years and the place is immaculate and they have been incredible. I could talk about the tenants who were with me for two years and only left because they bought a house, and they left the property cleaner than they when they moved in.
See, none of these tenants are bad, but the story isn’t as exciting so it rarely gets told.
The Bad Tenants Conversation Is Louder Than The Reality
If you’re just getting started you need to understand the reality is there are bad tenants, but no where near as many as there are average, good and great tenants.
The bad ones just stand out.
If you’re implementing a good strategy to screen tenants, to review their credit history and checking their references properly, you’ll be ok.
Here is probably the biggest tip I can tell new landlords. MAKE SURE YOU SCREEN POTENTIAL TENANTS THOROUGHLY. Sorry for yelling, but that is hugely important to know, understand and to do every single time you are putting in a new tenant.
It really helps make the bad tenants stories a thing of the past, at least for you!
How Do I Screen Tenants Then?
If you don’t have a screening process, you need to get one. There are a bunch of articles on this site and hundreds of other sites out thee that can help you along the way.
Or, if time is of the essence, I’ve compiled everything I’ve learned over the last fifteen plus years and over 1,500 tenants into a screening course for you.
It covers everything you need form what to ask, where to get credit checks, how to do showings and even how to write your ads to get better tenants.
If it’s a tool that you would like to add to your landlord toolkit check it out here. How To Screen Tenants Like An Educated Landlord.
Have a Good Tenant Story? Leave a comment below to share it!