Get The News Out - Bad Tenants
How do you guys get the word out about bad tenants? I don't have time to go to every search company that pops up at google when I type in "screen tenant".
Ideas? Which ones are the biggest ones? Are they linked somehow?
JohnCl
The ones that have an eviction against them in small claims are the bad ones.
If you are asking about screening tenants, you need to do a criminal, outstanding warrant, small claims, and sexual predators checks on them at least.
I use Mr. Landlord.
They have several screening and reporting options, and are inexpensive compared to others I have seen.
CALL THOSE PAST LANDLORDS!! This is an all too often overlooked part of the rental application. Call the previous 2 or 3 landlords and find out about the tenant. If they only list one or two, when you call them, ask that landlord who they have down as the previous (before them) landlord. Get the number and call.
Professional management companies will only answer specific questions like 'how long did they live there,' 'how many times was the rent late,' 'why did they move,' etc. Legally, they cannot say anything "bad" about tenants, just supply the facts, and only those that are specificly asked. Small-time landlords will generally provide much more personal, and detailed, information as to why the tenants moved.
Also, verify their employment. I require a month's worth of check stubs for income verification and I call every previous employer for the past 2 years minimum. A spotty, shady, or short-term work history can also be a good sign of a bad tenant.
Roger
Again, What I am asking is how can I report a bad tenant to the world without taking hours of my time and even costing me money? We really need a way to submit information about bad tenants to a database without jumping through all of these hoops.
JohnCl
I have a question related to the bad tenant issue. One of my tenant has several children. I got a complaint that some of them are hanging around in front of the house at night, with some other teenagers, drinking beer, smoking weeds, etc. Should I talk to the tenant or the police?
Good question. I have considered making an anonymous telephone call from a payphone to the police about this. Not 911. I'd call their local number since it's not an emergency.
My guess is that the police could care less about whether or not your tenant knows you're the person who ratted them out, so I wouldn't let them know who I was.
Just my .02 cents.
JohnCl
The only way that I know to report a bad tenant is to have a judgement against them. This will show up on a small claims search.
I do not understand the problem here. There is a way to find out who are bad tenants but creating a thorough rental application and verifying all the information on it. You are mad that you got a bum tenant and I am betting that you did not run a credit check, run an eviction report, call their previous landlords, etc. Live, learn, and move on.
There is a tenant service here in Orlando - Mark Management - that will put an item on the tenants credit report. They are a collections agency and they get a percent of anything they collect.
I build computer software. It is unlikely that a handful of disgruntled landlords are going to build a database that can rival Experian or Equifax. Use the tools that are available to you, do not try to create new ones.
Brenda
A more simplified version of what Brenda is trying to say is, "don't try to reinvent the wheel." If you run a credit and criminal check, call previous landlords, and current/past employment, then you'll get a pretty good idea if the tenant is going to be good or bad. There is always the good old "gut feelings" as well. The more experienced you become, the better those vibes are about possible tenants, both good and bad.
As far as reporting your bad tenants, there are a few things that you can do. You can give the truth about them when other landlords call you. If your lease or rental agreement so informs them, you can send a bad payment history into a credit reporting agency. You could hire a management company to collect your payments, particularly one that reports to a credit agency. And as stated above, you could file a judgement against them which will appear on a credit report.
Roger