5 Things Landlords Should Consider when Checking a Potential Tenant

Landlords have the right to run background check on potential new tenants as well as a credit check. What should a landlord look for when they are running these checks though? Everyone has to live somewhere. Landlords should be concerned, first and foremost, about the safety of other residents that will be living nearby to the tenant that will be moving into their area.

Top 5 things a landlord should look for when checking a potential tenant:

Drug Convictions- Drug convictions could be an indication of drug abuse or even the possibility that someone is involved in selling illegal drugs. That is something that landlords should take a hard look at before deciding to allow a tenant with a drug conviction rent from them. If someone has been convicted of a drug crime, you should look at how long ago the conviction was and if there have been any convictions since. If the drug conviction was recent or there have been a long line of drug conviction, the tenant may be a high risk in the neighborhood where you have the rental property.

Violence- Any violent offender has the potential to create major problems in the neighborhood that a landlord has in any neighborhood. If someone is a violent offender, it pays to look very closely at the offense and what potential risk there is for the potential tenant to harm others in the neighborhood. Again, look at how long ago the offense was and what the person was actually charged with. Was this an isolated incident? There may be extenuating circumstances and a possibly good reason for the violent offense. It could have even been that the person was trying to protect themselves or someone else.

Child Abuse/Molestation- If someone has been convicted of a child abuse or molestation charge, it is wise to consider how many children are living in the area that you have the rental property. This is a very serious crime and landlords should be aware if someone has been known to harm children in anyway. These are extremely serious issues that you should consider before you rent your property to someone who has been convicted of either child abuse or molestation charges.

Behavior at Previous Residence- If possible, find out how the potential tenant behaved while at the last place of residence. Were there any problems associated with the tenant? Did the tenant destroy the property in anyway? Or was the tenant quiet and unassuming while living there? All of these things can be a huge help to you in deciding if this is the right tenant for your rental property. Behavior at the last place of residence is a huge determinant as to whether the potential tenant will be a good fit for the neighborhood your rental property is in.

Ability to Pay Rent- One of the most obvious things that most landlords already look for when deciding whether to rent a property to a tenant is their ability to pay. Are the tenants able to make ends meet if they rent your property? How will they be able to pay the rent? Taking a good look at the amount of money each adult makes who will be living in the house as compared to how much the rent will be and any utilities will help determine if they will be able to pay the rent each month.

These are the top 5 things that landlords should consider when checking into a potential tenant. There are only so many ways that you can decide if a tenant is right for the property that you are trying to rent. If you have a tenant who is clear of all the above issues, it won't be a problem. Renting to someone who has had these issues in the past might be a potential risk. Take each person case by case though. There are sometimes circumstances that people get themselves into that they shouldn't have and they have paid their dues as well. Consider the length of time from the date of any legal offenses to the present date and if there were any further convictions as well. You may want to consider if there were ever any offenses prior to the offense that is on their record. Every person is different in most ways. There is one way that everyone is the same. Everyone has to live somewhere.