The 6 Best Screening Questions to Ask Potential Tenants
Tenant screening is a must for successfully managing your rental property. Choose the wrong tenant, and your real estate investment could cost you money instead of making you money. However, you don’t have time to fully investigate everyone who applies. Having a phone screening with each applicant can save you time by screening applicants who are obviously not qualified. Ask these six screening questions during your phone screenings.
1. How long have you lived at your current residence?
The goal of every rental property owner is to find a tenant that lives at a property long term. An applicant who constantly moves from one location to another exhibits instability. A pattern of moving every few months is likely to continue. You may not want to go through the work of the screening process and lease signing if you think the applicant will move out before the end of the lease term.
2. Do you have any pets?
You can use this as a simple screening question. For example, if you don’t allow pets in your rental, then anyone who says yes can automatically be screened out. This saves both you and the applicant time. Similarly, if you allow pets but have restrictions, the applicant’s pet falls within your rules.
Alternatively, you could allow pets but charge a pet deposit or monthly pet rent. Letting applicants know about these additional fees up front is important because it can impact their budget.
3. What date would you like to move in?
This is more of a procedural question, but it ensures you and the potential tenant are on the same timeline. If your schedules are compatible, then it may not work out for the two of you to move forward with the screening process. For example, if the tenant needs to move in by a particular day and the property won’t be ready, then the tenant will need to find somewhere else to live. If your property is available now, but the tenant won’t be able to move in for a few months, then you may not be willing to wait.
4. Why are you moving?
This simple question can give you valuable insight. Perhaps the answer is something logical, like a career change or outgrowing their current home. However, it could also be something more telling. For example, the applicant could raise red flags like evictions, job loss, or friction with the neighbors.
Unfortunately, not all applicants are honest. Some will tell you what you think you want to hear. Listen and verify the information given. You could do this through your other applicant screening tasks.
5. Are there any issues that might appear during a background check?
Asking this question serves two purposes. The first is being able to screen out applicants immediately. Having a criminal history can be a disqualifying factor for many landlords. Those with an extensive history of committing crimes could be at a greater risk of committing crimes in the future. This can bring a police presence to your rental property and create ill will among the neighbors.
Additionally, asking this question lets you gauge the applicant’s honesty. If the applicant is upfront about potential issues, this can instill trust in the applicant. If you run the background check and discover something the applicant didn’t mention, now you know to take a closer look at the rest of their application.
6. What do you do for work, and current monthly income estimate?
Typically, landlords look for applicants that make three times the monthly rent. This ensures the tenant has enough financial flexibility to afford the rent, living expenses, and unexpected expenses. Conversely, approving a tenant whose income is too low can put the landlord at risk of not getting paid.
Improve Your Tenant Screening Process
By improving your tenant screening process, you can develop a consistent standard. Not only does this improve the quality of tenants that you approve, but it also ensures you stay in compliance with anti-discrimination laws.
Schedule a consultation with our experienced property managers and create a better screening process for your rental properties.
