3 Questions for Ask your Potential Tenant

Before turning over the keys to your new investment property, here are 3 questions you should ask any potential tenant.

Employment History
Landlords should ask every potential tenant about their current employment status. You want to rent to a tenant that has some stability in their employment history. You might not want a tenant that as a history of working for a company for a year or less. If that is the norm in their employment history then that means they will be unemployed once or twice when renting your property for the next year. If they are unemployed then they will have difficulty in making the rent. When you inquire about their current employer, you can ask what their current salary is. This will tell you if they make enough to pay the rent or not.

Pets
Most landlords prefer not to rent to tenants that have pets. Other landlords will accept pets but only if they are under a certain size. Some will not rent to tenants with dogs but might accept other pets like cats. You want to ask the tenant if they have a pet. This will let you know if you will have an issue with pets before the tenant moves into your property. Asking this question also gives you an opportunity to explain your pet policy to the potential tenant. This lets them know you policy and, hopefully, it will discourage them from getting a pet after moving into your property.

Rental History
You should ask potential tenants where they currently live. You should also ask them if they are leaving before the end of their lease. You want to know how long they have been renting for their current landlord. This will tell you if they tend to stay in a location for a long time or do they move around frequently. You will need to ask them if they have ever been evicted in the past five years. If they have been evicted, ask them for the circumstances. The best thing you can do is to be quiet and listen to what they say. If you remain quiet, they will have a tendency to give you more details about the eviction.