Poll

Which rental option would you choose?

Only registered users are allowed to vote for this poll.
36 votes were received.

Aunt on lease with insurance fraud issues and extended family living together	1		3%
Single mom with solid rep but no credit history or hiding identity for bad credit/criminal reasons	7		19%
Just keep looking	28		78%

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I've been trying to sell my former home for almost a year. A few weeks ago I gave up hope of ever selling and decided to post it for rent on Craigslist. The house is in very good condition and I think I can get rent approaching the mortgage and expenses.

Recently two prospects became seriously interested, enthusiastic about it even (after showing it to several others who were rather ho-hum):

1) 82 year old woman through an insurance rental for the next few months. Her family came to look at it; apparently she was living downstairs in a 2-flat, owned by son and daughter-in-law. Daughter-in-law's sister moved in upstairs of 2-flat, a week later they had a fire and now are going to be put up by insurance company while the 2-flat is being rehabilitated. The elderly woman has the insurance, not the daughter-in-law's sister. Sister's daughter just had some kind of horrible intestinal surgery and couldn't walk much but hobbled around the house in much the way I image an 82-year old woman would. It sounds like the mother in law, sister, and sister's two kids and possibly additional people might be living there (all living off the insurance money.) They asked about rent to own (a strange thing in my mind if they were going to move back to their former residence once it was repaired.) The daughter-in-law and husband claimed to be police officers.

2) Single mother with two about-to-turn teenage daughters. Really seemed to have it together, but has been living with her sister for many years. Attempted credit check indicated that her social security number was not issued by the Social Security Administration (?!) and returned no documented lines of credit (which makes sense if she provided a bogus number) but she is willing to provide whatever documentary paperwork I request, pay in advance, do month-to-month until I'm comfortable with a more extended lease. Said she'd been victim of credit fraud last millennium and is now paying for some protection service that notifies her cell phone when her report is run (which shouldn't block a report from being run at all.) Also might want to rent to own some day.

3) Keep looking.

Which would you choose?

if arson is out of the question, I'd just keep looking. Hassles like the two prospects you mentioned, you don't need.

How easy is it the give them the boot if they don't pay the rent where you live?

I have some advice. See if you can find a good rental management company. They don't have to actually manage the place... get one that will advertise and screen potential renters. We do that with both of our rentals (two different cities, two different companies). One is local. The two prospects you mention above would never make the cut with our guy.

Oh, and another piece of advice... don't allow dogs. I told my wife not to rent to the last couple, who had 3 dogs, but she and her mother (who co-own the rental) allowed it with a non-refundable pet deposit. The damages were a lot more than the deposit.

Time-limited money (insurance payment) and wacky family dynamics? Survey says:    X

Bogus SSN and credit issues? Survey says:   X X

If i were you, i'd keep looking until i had a candidate who didn't sound fishy.

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rj
AKA
Vreemac, Moth of the Future

Keep looking. Getting an agent sounds like a good idea

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Alpharetta, GA (Atlanta suburb)

this is the sort of question that separates profitable and unprofitable landlords. i don't think a cautious landlord would rent to either.

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The bulk of the info you provided would be highly illegal to consider in evaluating a prospective tenant. The info you provided that's not illegal to consider clearly favors the candidate that did not provide you with confirmed falsified information.

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

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mattkime
this is the sort of question that separates profitable and unprofitable landlords. i don't think a cautious landlord would rent to either.

Depends on where you live. Could be the cream of the crop in Gabester's neighborhood.

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

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rz
I have some advice. See if you can find a good rental management company. They don't have to actually manage the place... get one that will advertise and screen potential renters. We do that with both of our rentals (two different cities, two different companies). One is local. The two prospects you mention above would never make the cut with our guy.

Oh, and another piece of advice... don't allow dogs. I told my wife not to rent to the last couple, who had 3 dogs, but she and her mother (who co-own the rental) allowed it with a non-refundable pet deposit. The damages were a lot more than the deposit.

Agree about the dogs. Re: rental management company-- typically the fee is first month to month and a half rent. Does Gabester's margin allow for such an expense to do something he can do himself?

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

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Black
The bulk of the info you provided would be highly illegal to consider in evaluating a prospective tenant. The info you provided that's not illegal to consider clearly favors the candidate that did not provide you with confirmed falsified information.

Well, i didn't get the feeling that gabester was insinuating that age, medical condition, marital status, or profession would be reasons he'd decide to exclude either potential tenant. He probably should familiarize himself with the local laws on property rental, so he knows on what basis a rental application can be denied. It varies A LOT from locale to locale, and depending on the category of property.

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rj
AKA
Vreemac, Moth of the Future

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rjmacs

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Black
The bulk of the info you provided would be highly illegal to consider in evaluating a prospective tenant. The info you provided that's not illegal to consider clearly favors the candidate that did not provide you with confirmed falsified information.

Well, i didn't get the feeling that gabester was insinuating that age, medical condition, marital status, or profession would be reasons he'd decide to exclude either potential tenant.

And I didn't say he was. My point was that of the info provided, that which would be legal to base a decision on clearly favored the candidate that did not provide a bogus Social Security number.

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

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rjmacs
Time-limited money (insurance payment) and wacky family dynamics? Survey says:    X

Bogus SSN and credit issues? Survey says:   X X

If i were you, i'd keep looking until i had a candidate who didn't sound fishy.

I've been pretty successful with my two rental properties (even including college student tenants) - if someone gives off bad vibes, there's usually a reason...

Is the single mom cute?


Never mind... I'd probably keep looking.
Unless the single mom asked REALLY nicely.

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
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Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--
Eureka, CA

It's a landlords market.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Do they have dogs that ruin hardwood floors or drive rental cars ?

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billb
Do they have dogs that ruin hardwood floors or drive rental cars ?

Yes-- definitely beware of dogs driving rental cars-- major "flag" among landlords.

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

Now there's some tenants' mail to read !

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Kooper's Flute Thing cover

[www.freethegrapes.org]

norwegian wood reality TV

[www.youtube.com]

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Black

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billb
Do they have dogs that ruin hardwood floors or drive rental cars ?

Yes-- definitely beware of dogs driving rental cars-- major "flag" among landlords.

Black, is that a legally permissible reason to deny an applicant in your neighborhood? Or would you not even allow a dog driving a rental to apply?

Seriously, though, I appreciate the feedback and found it interesting that more people voted to accept the credit risk/id hider over the fire insurance fraud. Does that make it the lesser of two evils? For what it's worth I met the single mom's children and uncle. Her kids seemed well raised and outgoing, not sullen and quiet like they were being told to cover up something.
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