What signals that tenants are likely to do harm: People whom we are better off not letting to use our rental property

 "Rent is one of the most common options when people are looking for a new home, but have not yet decided to buy their own.

 

    When potential tenants arrive for home inspections, it is worth paying attention to a few essential things that can easily betray that these people can really cause trouble in the future. Real estate broker Ernesta Lunskytė shares her advice in the press release.

 

    Clothing and appearance are important

 

    Although it is said not to judge a book from the cover, the way people come to see it provides a lot of information about their perception of order and cleanliness. If your clothes are old or torn, do not expect your home to stay clean and tidy. It is likely that people who disregard personal hygiene will certainly not pay too much attention to cobwebs at home or a soiled wall. So clothing and human appearance are extremely important even when choosing tenants for housing.

 

    Work experience

 

    Whether tenants will be solvent will probably not be predictable, but to look at their work experience, maybe even ask for employment contracts and make sure people are working and earning a stable income every month is a must. According to Ernesta Lunskytė, a real estate broker, no one who wants to rent a home will say that his job position is unstable or that he may lose his job quickly, but it is the employment contracts that clearly define these things.

 

    "I have had a case where potential tenants have proven that they have jobs, even shown employment contracts, even though they have been looking for work in groups on social networks. So, as it turned out later, the contracts were fictitious and the revenue was only in the plans. So when assessing tenants, even their social networks need to be checked. ”

 

    Deposit avoidance

 

    It is customary to pay a deposit to tenants at the time of signing the contract, which is refunded at the end of the contract, subject to an assessment of the condition of the dwelling. However, it is not uncommon for people to negotiate the payment of a deposit or its amount. This should be an important signal to homeowners about solvency - if potential tenants refuse to pay a rational deposit, they may not want to pay the rent later?

 

    According to real estate broker Ernesta, when faced with such cases, it is better to wait for other tenants and keep your terms, especially when it comes to money: "The deposit is a perfectly normal practice and its amount is usually a one-month rent, if they negotiate a lower fee - how can you be sure that the rent will also be paid when the new month starts? In such cases, I would still suggest canceling the deal and waiting for suitable tenants.”

 

    Choosing tenants for people who have never encountered it can really be difficult - no one wants to entrust their property to anyone, and abandoned debts or destroyed property can do a lot of damage not only to landlords but also to those living nearby. Therefore, in the absence of practice, a real estate specialist always recommends consulting with specialists, lawyers, and, if necessary, simply entrusting the rental process to a real estate broker."