“Why do I need to submit an application? Can I finish this at home?”

Who seems like the property manager in this situation? Although an anxious renter is a tell-tale sign of ending your vacancy, you should steer clear of tenants that question your screening process. Make sure you keep all applications with you, at all times, and only let the tenant fill out when prepared. You want to avoid any situations of fraud or troublesome renters that question your authority.

“How long does this process take? I need the apartment/house by next week. I can pay a deposit/rent in advance if we can make an agreement now.”

Again, a tenant who questions your procedures will not respect you later down the line. They want to handle agreements on their terms, not yours. If they don’t respect you, they will most likely not respect your property. Also, rushing an application process is another symptom of bad behavior. Are they on a timeline of a pending eviction? What kind of baggage could they be running from and bringing directly to you? You want to fill your vacancies, but don’t be too desperate, as it will lead to issues much worse than having to be patient.

“Oh, these are just my friends helping me scope the place out.”

Yeah, exactly. “Scope out” is right. Be careful of potential renters who bring a posse to view your property. No one is important enough to bring 3 or more people with them to see your space. More than likely, they’re all conducting some sort of illegal business and need to see how your place works out for their services, you’ve encountered a party animal (noise complaints, broken windows, the list goes on), or they’re memorizing the layout of your property for a future robbery.

“My credit score isn’t too great…I just went through a divorce/student loans/fraud/etc.”

No way. If someone is willing to fabricate a story about their credit score, they’re willing to do much worse to you. You want to make sure someone has their financial ducks in a row so that you may have yours as well.

Luckily, here at PayYourRent, we offer extensive screening services with our online application feature that includes credit checks, criminal background, and past rental history. Protect yourself from tasting any bad apples in the bunch by utilizing every tool and precaution available.

Want to share your own advice or horror story? Send us information of how your property handles particular tenants to support@payyourrent.com