Requesting, reviewing, and contacting references is a crucial step in the tenant screening process. In the past, we have discussed how to do just that, along with some tips for how to double-check and ensure a potential tenant’s references are even real. However, while getting an outside perspective of a tenant can be helpful, it’s important to sit down with your tenant and form your own opinion. Today, we’re reviewing how to interview potential tenants for your rental properties and important questions to ask throughout the process.
Contents of This Article:
- How to Interview Potential Tenants for Your Rental
- 5 Common Questions to Ask Potential Tenants
- Trust Your Local Property Management Team
How to Interview Potential Tenants for Your Rental
You wouldn’t want to rent your property to just anyone. It’s important to interview prospective tenants to get a good idea of who they are before letting them lease your rental home. Here are a few tips to keep in mind throughout the process.
- Follow a Consistent Tenant Screening Process
- Prepare for the Interview
- Be Fair, Firm, and Consistent
Follow a Consistent Tenant Screening Process
We always emphasize the importance of having a consistent tenant screening process. If you don’t currently enlist the help of Baltimore property management services, you may not even have a process in place.
However, it is crucial you don’t wing the screening process. After all, you might unknowingly violate Fair Housing Laws and find yourself in a lot of trouble. Or, you might place a terrible tenant in your rental. That said, tenant interviewing is entwined in the screening process.
Five Stages of a Good Screening Process
Check out the five stages to a good screening process to see what we mean:
- The Inquiry—An interested tenant will call you to learn more about your rental property. This is when you can ask them some quick screening questions to ensure they are serious about leasing.
- Property Showing- Most likely, a property showing is the first time you meet the tenant in person, and first impressions are a big deal. After meeting the tenant face-to-face, your gut instinct will lead you in the right direction.
- Rental Application- As your tenant prepares to fill out the required rental application, you can gauge their reaction as you explain what is required. For example, a security deposit, first and last month’s rent, employment and previous rental history verification, and even a background check are typical things to require during this stage. Tenants who are hesitant to provide the documentation and money upfront and aim to rush the process, or have a lot of “good excuses” as to why they can’t do one thing or another, may signal they are not a good fit for you.
- Discuss Next Steps– After deciding that the tenant is a good fit, you can sit down and discuss their approval. Again, their willingness, or lack thereof, when it comes to handing over the funds to lease your property will reveal itself during this stage.
- Lease Signing—By now, the tenant should fully understand what is expected of them while leasing your property. However, if, when you go over the lease agreement in full (as any successful property owner will), the tenant starts to fuss over provisions that you are not willing to budge on, you ought to back out and find a different tenant.
As you can see, every point during the screening process offers a prime chance to interview potential tenants to ensure they are a good fit.
Prepare for the Interview
Before the interview, it is important to have a game plan. Again, you want to avoid violating the Fair Housing Act at all costs. That said, you also want to appear professional, prepared, and serious about your rental property business.
You’ll want to have a specific set of questions you want to ask while interviewing a tenant. Additionally, if you prefer to split the interview into parts, make sure you have specific questions for each stage of the tenant screening process.
If you are self-managing your rental property and aren’t confident about conducting actual tenant interviews, try practicing with a close friend. This can help ease some of the nerves and help you stay on track during the real deal.
Be Fair, Firm, and Consistent
This is something almost all property managers will recommend. Tenants are good at trying to convince property owners to lease to them. They know all the tricks in the book, can be smooth talkers, and may even straight out lie to get you to say “yes.”
Being aware of some of the most common red flags that appear during tenant screening will help you avoid falling victim to a problem tenant. Also, try to remain consistent with all tenants that cross your path, and don’t rush a decision.
After all, placing a less-than-ideal tenant in your rental property will only lead to more problems later on. These problems are bound to turn into another vacancy you will have to fill with a different tenant, costing you time and money in the long run.
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5 Common Questions to Ask Potential Tenants
Here are some of the most common tenant interview questions you should ask potential tenants:
- Why Are You Moving?
- Do You Have Pets?
- How Many People Will Be Residing With You?
- Can You Pay the Move-In Costs Upfront?
- Can You Pass a Background Check?
Why Are You Moving?
It’s a basic question, but asking your prospective tenants why they’re moving can tell you a little bit about them. Sometimes, a tenant’s reason for moving so much in the past or so quickly at the moment may raise some concerns with you.
Is their lease up? Are they looking for a more affordable rental? Or were they evicted from their last place? While it’s not the most important question to ask, it can help reveal potential red flags. Based on the tenant’s answer, be aware of this and decide whether to move forward.
Do You Have Pets?
Depending on your rental property’s pet policy, this question is an important one. You’ll want to ask your prospective tenants about any pets they may have, what kind they are, and whether or not they’re house-trained.
It is crucial to get an honest answer from your prospective tenants in the beginning in hopes that they will not sneak a pet into a no-pet rental or violate the pet policies in place. Remember, even if your rental is pet-free, you must allow service animals in your property.
How Many People Will Be Residing With You?
Another important question is how many people will be in the home. After all, you’ll want to thoroughly screen all adult tenants who will be living in your rental property for the duration of the lease term.
Knowing how many people will be living in your rental from the start will ensure that there’s enough room for everyone without exceeding the legal limits. Remember, it’s important that you do not violate any of the fair housing regulations and do not discriminate against potential tenants.
Can You Pay the Move-in Costs Upfront?
Asking whether or not they can pay the move-in costs upfront is a big one. Informing a prospective tenant what you require in terms of first and/or last month’s rent, application fees, and security deposits is a good way to weed those out who simply don’t have enough income to cover the move-in costs.
Those who have issues coming up with your requirements at the start of a lease term might give you trouble at one point or another during the lease term when it comes to paying rent. This is something that no landlord wants to deal with.
Can You Pass a Background Check?
Many potential tenants may not know you require a passing background check to lease your rental property. Kindly explain to the tenant that you are more than willing to show the property and discuss the lease terms. However, one of the conditions upon move-in is passing a background check.
Again, this question will effectively weed out anyone who fears they will not pass. After all, no tenant wants to pay the non-refundable application fee if they know the chances of their application being approved are very slim.
Trust Your Local Property Management Team
The key to tenant screening and interviewing is consistency – consistency in the process, consistency in the questions, and consistency in your standards. Do not let the fear of your vacant property cause you to make a rushed decision.
For those who own rental properties and want to avoid violating fair housing rules, interviewing tenants on the phone or in person, or having to make the decision to approve or deny a potential tenant, contact Bay Management Group now to help.
At Bay Property Management Group, we have strict tenant screening processes in place that are not only legally compliant but also effective. So, contact us today to learn more about our services throughout Baltimore, Philadelphia, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC.
