Tips on vetting new tenants

gonsdad

SouthLondonUser wrote: »

Why? It is a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. In fact, most decent contracts explicitly specify that inspection can only be carried out once every 3 or 6 months. Any more than that, and you’ll deter me. No, I have no intention of turning your property into a drug den, but I have a reasonable right to privacy; if you want to breathe down my neck every month, look for another tenant. An acquaintance was driven mad by the landlady's constant requests to inspect the property - in the end she wanted to come every month.

Bad apples exist among landlords like they exist among tenants. Some landlords tend to forget that tenants have a legitimate interest in trying to ensure their landlord is not the crazy cat lady from the Simpsons.

Let's not forget the fairly common practice of middle-aged male landlords "just popping in" unannounced on their young female tenants...

Fireflyaway

Even if a tenant passes all these checks, things could change. A job loss or relationship breakdown could see them go from being great payers to getting behind with rent. We all have different standards too. What's clean and tidy to me might be a tip to you. I'm currently renting and consider myself to be a good tennant. I keep the house in good order, pay on time and am a good neighbour. Our landlord is great. Fixes things on time and actually when some appliances have broken he has replaced with brand new. Both of us are keeping to our side of the bargain. I feel lucky to have a good landlord and hopefully he feels happy to have such an amazing tenant
I've had friends and colleagues who have rented out places and the tenants turned out to be dodgy. In each case they never looked into their background. The least I would do is contact the previous landlord and probably take the biggest deposit possible! I also agree with a quick Google search. Not stalking style but if they come up on the local court list for drugs offences or anti social behaviour you might want to pass.

Ogriv

Actually I do think it's fair to Google a person, whether they be landlord or tenant.

Once when attempting to buy a leasehold flat I googled the freeholder, as he had completed the property information form in a very cursory way.

This revealed a recent court case where he was accused by the local water company of illegally connecting his tenants i to a water supply; and also to a non-compliant sewerage pumping station.

SouthLondonUser

Googling the tenants is different from stalking them on social media, and inferring conclusions on their lifestyle and reliability based on the pictures that come up (an ex-colleague used to have the social media presence of a trendy socialite but was, in fact, the most boringly dull person ever).

need_an_answer

gonsdad wrote: »

Let's not forget the fairly common practice of middle-aged male landlords "just popping in" unannounced on their young female tenants...

I'll take your comment as jesting but I know no LL's middle aged or otherwise that pop round without giving the required and appropriate notice.


Fairly common practice have you evidence?

Soundgirlrocks

need_an_answer wrote: »

I'll take your comment as jesting but I know no LL's middle aged or otherwise that pop round without giving the required and appropriate notice.

Fairly common practice have you evidence?

Just look at the number of threads where people are advised to change the locks because of Landlords & letting agents doing just that!

need_an_answer

Soundgirlrocks wrote: »

Just look at the number of threads where people are advised to change the locks because of Landlords & letting agents doing just that!

so you've been a victim?

gonsdad

need_an_answer wrote: »

I'll take your comment as jesting but I know no LL's middle aged or otherwise that pop round without giving the required and appropriate notice.


Fairly common practice have you evidence?

It's 10 - 15 years ago, but alongside the creepy driving instructor dealing with the creepy landlord seemed a sadly inevitable rite of passage that many girls (and some boys) I went to university with encountered.


More officially, I know of a property management company in a Scottish city that got into trouble for doing this with female students a couple of years back.


Worst I ever had was the landlord texting me one afternoon to say that his son was in town and would be crashing on the sofa that night. It wasn't posed as a question.

franklee

Facebook is fair game, if someone puts it in public they have lost control of who sees it be they prospective landlord, tenant or employee/employer. I can't fathom why people spill their lives on there, it's not as if the privacy settings are easy to understand or reliable to control. So yeah I have stalked prospective landlords.

SouthLondonUser

diggingdude wrote: »

I actually don't think that UK credit referencing for tenants goes far enough. I think it should show you everything as it often does in other countries.

Such as? What is shown where?