In April 2012 a New Jersey landlord was sued by his new tenants because of alleged paranormal activity in their rental house. The couple wants their security deposit returned because they feel unsafe living in the house among “ghosts”.
The landlord, however, thinks they don’t have the money for rent and they want to break the year-long rental agreement, so he’s countersuing the couple.
Here’s a video from Good Morning America showing some questionable activity.
Whether you think this couple has a legitimate lawsuit or not, it does bring up the importance of tenant screening. I don’t know this landlord so I have no idea what his screening practices are, but the last thing a landlord wants is to spend extra money defending a lawsuit.
Have your prospective tenants fill out an application granting you permission to do a credit check. Be sure to check their references, both personal and professional, and don’t be afraid to ask past landlords if they were problem makers or ever threatened the landlords with lawsuits.
Interview your tenants just as you would interview an employee. Observe how they interact with each other and how honestly they answer your questions. What’s your first impression?
When it comes to the credit check, pay attention to the total annual salary and also what type of jobs each applicant holds. Obviously, seasonal or manual laborers will make less than a professional tenant. Consult an attorney to discuss if you can require your tenants to show their latest tax returns to verify that the numbers on the application are correct.
In New York City, landlords are allowed to ask for tax returns and they are able to set a salary requirement to guarantee the tenants won’t run out of money midway through the lease. These landlords can require that your salary be 40 times higher than what the rent is. So, if you want to rent a $2,000 per month apartment in the city, you better make more than $80,000 annually to even be considered.
In the end, it’s up to you as the landlord to do your research before allowing strangers into your property. This requires some time, diligence, and the ability to stay objective and not be swayed by a family’s sob story.
Really! Check out the person starting up the stairs. His arm reaches forward in concert with the bowling pin falling. It appears that he pulls the bowling pin over with a string.
Question: Why is a bowling pin conspicuously positioned as it is?