Date Posted: 2012-06-01 07:15:04
Site Posted: Myproperty.ph
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Landlords are reminded time and again of the importance of screening the tenants that they accept. This is why renters work hard to get their papers ready and be on their best behavior while viewing rental properties.
As necessary as it is to leave a good impression with the landlord when looking at an apartment or a house for rent, it’s also important that renters screen landlords, too. These days, it’s difficult to tell at face value a great landlord from a scam artist who’s just out to take advantage of you. Follow these tips if you want to separate the good landlords from the bad.
Ask him questions
Getting to know your landlord can help you determine how approachable and trustworthy he is; remember, renting is a business, so you want to deal with someone you can rely on. On top of that, asking questions will yield information that will be detrimental to your decision to rent his property. Some of the questions you can ask are how many years he has been a landlord, why he decided to rent out the place and if he’s the one who’ll be handling repairs.
Do a background check on the property
There are scammers out there who offer apartments or houses for rent that aren’t even in their name, or those that are nearing foreclosure. Ask the landlord to provide you with documents proving that he owns the house, as well as evidence that the property isn’t in some sort of financial trouble. If a landlord really is genuine, he will have no problem with this and with you taking some time to mull things over.
Have a look at his other rental properties
Ask the landlord if you can check out his other properties, if any, and assess them yourself. If you can check out their property records, see if they are in good standing financially. Also, see if they are being well taken care of; any signs of long-term damage will tell you that the landlord may not look after his rental properties diligently.
Knock on doors and interview your neighbors
While you’re checking out the rental, try to talk to the other tenants and find out what they think of the landlord and how he handles things. They might be hesitant to talk to a complete stranger at first, so pick up on other cues, too. They’ll be forthcoming if they have good things to say about the landlord, but if you notice them dodging the issue, take this as a warning that he might not be as great as he seems.
To put it bluntly, when you rent a house or any residential property, you are making a business deal with a complete stranger. This is how the landlord sees it, so he’ll screen you as well as he can, but don’t be afraid to do a little digging of your own, too.
Jillian Cariola, Writer
(cover image by Mat Hayward)
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