Pre Screening Applicants

How many adults would be living there?

You can have various preferences or profiles for your rentals. If you have a family home in a suburban area then a family is a good fit. A group of 4 college students may not. Whereas those 4 college students in a home near the college may be the best value for you. A group of relatives may also be OK such as adults with senior parents.

We have more opinions and insights than this but they can be offensive so they are best discussed based on your home with your leasing associate.

Are they all working?

This may be the most important question. You want most of them to be working or have an income. If there are people in the home that are dependent on the others but should not be then there tends to be issues.

A senior parent is reasonably dependent. An adult brother with no physical or mental difficulties may not be a good roommate.

How many children would be living there?

This is good to determine how many dependents are in the home and general wear and tear. One per bedroom in the home is reasonable.

Do you have any pets?

Should be a yes or no answer.

If yes to pets: What are their types and weights?

This one is more property dependent but things to keep in mind. The most important is free-roaming animals such as the typical dog or cat. Caged animals tend not to affect the home much.

Depending on the type though some make strong odours such as multiple reptiles and ferrets.

If you do accept dogs or cats we recommend no more than 2 and a total weight of around 35-40 lbs combined. Male cats are easier on a home than female cats and cats make less noise than dogs but dogs may spend more time outside.

When are you looking to move-in?

If someone is looking for 4 months in the future then by all means show them the property but don’t go out of your way for it.

If they are looking for immediate then you might ask why – prudent people should be looking in the future.

A pile of stories that boil down to excuses are not a good sign. If someone has legitimate stories they will probably have some proof to go with it.

How long can you stay?

Using the word “stay” instead of “sign a lease for” is a softer question and more approachable.

Again the answers vary but we don’t recommend short-term tenants unless you are in a market that you can charge more money for on short term stays.

We strongly recommend trying to time your leases to start and end in the best time of the year for you to improve your average rent and decrease your vacancy time if they move out after their lease.