The right tenant can make your life as a landlord a pleasure, but the wrong ones can make it a living nightmare. Here are a few tips on how to choose the perfect tenant for your rental property.
Carry Out Credit Checks
One common issue faced by landlords is tenants who don’t pay their rent on time. Carrying out a credit check will enable you to see if a prospective tenant is responsible with bill-paying in general. This will show you if their bills are paid on time and will also show if they have any large debts outstanding, which could be viewed as a red flag. Likewise, those with CCJs or previous evictions should also be swerved at all costs.
You should also obtain proof of the tenant’s monthly income; it should be at least three times their monthly rent. Check their pay slips and make a quick call to their employer to confirm that the information they’ve provided is correct.
Carry Out a Criminal Records (CRB) Check
To make sure that you won’t be renting your house to a convicted fraudster or someone with a history for dealing drugs from their property, you should carry out a criminal records check. This will also highlight if the person is on the Sex Offenders’ Register, which is an important point to bear in mind if the rental property is in a shared apartment complex where others could be put at risk.
Check the Tenant’s Rental History
It’s helpful to talk to at least two of the prospective tenant’s prior landlords. This is important as, if the tenant was a problem, their current landlord may be reluctant to admit it as they will just want to get the tenant off their hands.
Ask if the rent was paid on time and try to find out why the tenant is moving. Make sure that the correct notice period was given and that the property was left in a good, clean state as per their rental contract.
Your Letting Agent
Obviously, carrying out all these checks yourself is time-consuming. That’s why it is always better to use an experienced letting agent, such as Belvoir Sutton Coldfield to carry out these important checks for you.
For more help on finding the perfect tenant for your rental property, contact our helpful team today.
