| Rental applicant screening is a constant headache | | | | tenant before they ever even see anything even |
| for the landlord with open units, but it does not | | | | resembling an application. Before I took off on a |
| have to take forever and it does not have to | | | | little tangent I was talking about my first |
| cost you an arm and a leg either. Honestly - with | | | | conversation about renting. I make mention of the |
| the right balance of cleverness and forcefulness | | | | consent form right off the bat. No fuss, no muss. |
| (personality-wise) the vast majority of potential | | | | I make it absolutely clear that the person I am |
| bad apple tenants are more than happy to screen | | | | talking to will be filling out a consent form and |
| themselves right out of your office. That's the | | | | their background and credit history will be |
| kind of rental applicant screening all of us can | | | | checked. |
| afford. | | | | Needless to say many of the people I talk to do |
| How do I do this? It has to start with the very | | | | not bother to show up at my office to sign a |
| first contact with your potential applicants. Why | | | | rental applicant screening consent form. They |
| do I say potential applicants? I say that because | | | | already know they have a checkered past and |
| no one, not one single person, gets a tenant | | | | don't bother to show up. Good riddance. Too |
| application from me until I have a signed consent | | | | harsh? Listen, the only thing worse than an empty |
| form in hand. A consent form for what, you ask? | | | | apartment is an apartment with a drug using loser |
| I get a signed consent form from a prospective | | | | deadbeat in it. Agreed? |