Finding the right tenant can be a huge problem for some, as they are not able to identify the right characteristics of an “ideal” tenant for their apartment rental. However, we can agree that most of the property owners have these two fears when finding a tenant:
Fear 1: That the tenant won’t pay your rent.
Fear 2: That the tenant destroys your house.
And these fears are fueled by the comments of the people around you since there is always someone who has heard one of those stories to not sleep in which a psychopathic tenant never paid the rent, did not clean and also put out the cigarette butts in the sofa in the living room.
Please don’t let this stories get into your head! Stop thinking about all these horrible things and focus.
You need to find a good tenant. A good tenant has 5 fundamental characteristics.
- Long leasing periods
- Pays the rent on time
- Takes good care of the house
- Does not bother you with any small repair that is solved with a screwdriver
- That is a kind and approachable person
HOW DO I ENCOURAGE LONGER LEASE PERIODS?
- Not renting at an exorbitant price simply because the market at that time is very high.
- Have the house in good and comfortable condition.
- Choose an appropriate customer profile for your home. Example: If you have a studio and you rent it to a couple, you already know that they are going to be too tight in such a small layout.
HOW DO I GUARENTEE TO GET PAID ON TIME?
Well it is nearly impossible to guarantee anything these days, however through the tenant screening process you as a landlord should ask the tenant directly, or through a property agent, about their financial background and current sources of income. A tenant with a stable job will likely always pay and more importantly, on time.
HOW TO MAKE SURE THE TENANT IS TAKING GOOD CARE OF MY HOUSE?
This is difficult to know. No case has happened to me that someone destroys a house, but sometimes they leave it dirty, very dirty. And this is not known until they leave. I have had spotless, well-dressed people who have left even cobwebs, and more careless people who then have left my house cleaner than a whistle.
HOW DO I GET THEM NOT TO BOTHER WITH ANY SMALL REPAIRS?
Drafting the contract well, and making sure that it understands that small repairs are not at your expense.
WHAT TO DO TO HAVE A FRIENDLY TENANT?
In My Casa Agency what we do is observe the candidate for rent during the time that the preparation of the operation lasts, is it punctual? It is respectful? Do you give us the clean and orderly documentation? There are thousands of details and realizing these is given by experience.
If you see a negative and aggressive detail at some point, you cannot go ahead with this operation and must abort it.
