How to Protect Yourself From Bad Tenants

by Jane Wilson Writer

Every landlord has faced many problems on his way to perfection – property needing repairs, things braking, problems with documents and authorities, and many other. But the biggest problem for every landlord who cares about his building and possessions are the tenants – and especially the bad ones. Unfortunately, they are everywhere around us. The bad tenants are like a disease – you never know they're coming and they leave a lot more damage after them than you think. Fortunately, there are a few simple ways, which may help you recognise these people and avoid them. But the most important information every landlord needs to know is how to protect yourself from bad tenants. If you follow these tips, you should do just fine.

Make them fill out an application. Sometimes landlords forget about the importance of the application, which is really bad, because it could tell you absolutely everything you'll need to know about a potential tenant and it practically reveals their identification. This is why, if you want to make sure that your tenants won't be a threat to your property, you should make them fill out an application which contains the following information: Full name (and all previously used names, if there are ones), social security number and date of birth for all the occupants. You should also include questions about their previous addresses (including the names of their previous landlords) and their last jobs, and their salaries. If you want to be completely thorough with your investigation of the new potential tenants, you should also ask for some details about their car (if they have one) and some numbers of their friend, or just their emergency contacts. This information could help you check out the potential renters and decide if they are honest and good for your property.

Do a criminal background check. If you really want to be protected from bad tenants, you can perform the oldest trick in the book – do a background check and look for criminal convictions. This, of course, can't be a definitive sign that someone is a bad person, because sometimes people just make stupid mistakes, but you can never be sure. So, you can go to the closest police station and ask there if the person in question has any offences and if he or she has been convicted, and for what. If you want to be completely protected when you're accepting tenants with questionable reputation, the best way would be to do a professional check in report London. This will help you with potential disputes with the tenants if there are any problems around the property.

Credit check. The best way to know if your tenants will be able to pay the rent you require would be to perform a credit check. Sometimes landlords neglect this important step, which is very wrong, because sometimes tenants with bad credit reports just disappear after you even mention it. This is why you should always perform this kind of checks. It will be a low price to pay if it will help you avoid frauds and questionable tenants.

Ensure yourself with a good lease. The lease agreement is the most important part of every landlord-tenant interrelation. It practically says what the tenant can and can't do in your property. If you write your lease agreement with care, it should be able to protect you from bad tenants with ease. Just don't get carried away, because sometimes landlords decide that they can put anything they want there, and start making up some crazy rules they want their tenants to obey. I think the standard lease agreement with all the clauses for intentional damage and a standard inventory report London, should be more than enough. After all, the tenants are also people, and they won't agree with all your ideas about order.

Check their references. This is probably the most underestimated step that almost every landlord forgets to do. It may seem to you that this is not so important, but checking the credibility of your tenant's references can be even crucial. Sometimes tenants just make these things up relying on the idea that landlords won't check them thoroughly. You can prove that they are wrong.

Picking up the right tenants is the hardest job for every landlord. There are just so many things to consider about the new people. And, of course, not all people are good and honest. But, fortunately, there are a few easy ways to protect yourself from bad tenants. The most important one I can give you is to be conscious and check everything about your potential renters thoroughly.