Blog Post

Evaluate a Rental Application

Dustin Edwards • January 27, 2020

4 Items to Evaluate on a Rental Application

Rental Application Analysis
Leveraging the power of the internet it is easy to find a rental application. Or even if you don’t want to do that you could go into a Staples or Office Depot and pick up a packet of “Rental and Credit Check”. If you review the forms from a few different sources you will notice that each of them are pretty similar in nature. Of course, if each rental application is nearly the same how can it be so challenging to find the right tenant?

Part of the challenge is that a rental application is like any job application. While the form remains the same for all candidates each potential candidate provides different information. The key is which information provided is going to result in the best possible tenant for your property?

Common Items on an Application

While there are many fields on an application there are a few that often draw the attention of property owners and property managers. To help you get started in evaluating a rental application consider a small sample of the following questions:
  • Pets (Y/N)?
  • Current Smoker (Y/N)?
  • Bankruptcy (Y/N)?
  • Income
Pets on an Application
Allowing pets in your Long Beach rental is an important decision. Pets are one of the most common forms of damage to a property. Of course, what if the pet they have is a hamster? Or even 3 gold fish? When property owners often envision pets they think of the worst case scenario like an animal busting up drywall but that isn’t necessarily the case. Ask the prospective renter what pets they currently have and even if they are planning on expanding their pet family to understand if that is a challenge in their application.

Current Smoker
Smoking provides a few challenges to a property. One of the first challenges, that is often overlooked, is that of being a fire hazard. Improper disposal of a cigarette could cause even something as mundane as garbage to catch on fire and cause damage. The other damage is that of the odor as it can get into drywall and carpeting making it challenging for future renters who aren’t smokers. Of course with these challenges does this mean you don’t rent to smokers? What if they only smoke outside? What if they count “vaping” as a type of smoking? What if they are chewing nicotine gum? Take time to understand the true habits of the prospective renter to see if it is a match for you and the property.

Bankruptcy
In life few have escaped without some financial challenge. Simply because someone has had a bankruptcy in their past certainly shouldn’t eliminate them from your pool of valid applicants. Find out more about the bankruptcy to determine when it occurred. Was there a particular reason it occurred? (i.e. maybe it was in a tough economic downturn). Understanding the full story of the bankruptcy can help you to determine if this is the right renter for your home.

Income
We invite you to consider evaluating income much like a lender would evaluate income when buying a property. Someone might be willing to pay $2,800 a month in rent but if their declared income is $3,800 then that could pose a challenge. When a bank evaluates a home buyer they traditionally like to keep the mortgage payment at <45% of the monthly gross income of the applicants. As you evaluate each rental application set a rule of percentage of rent vs. gross income and evaluate each application with that same rule in mind.

Evaluating Every Part of a Rental Application
The above are just four areas of consideration to evaluate when you are reviewing rental applications for your Long Beach rental. At Beach Cities Property Management we dive into every aspect of a rental application. In addition to our expertise we leverage technology throughout the property management process. From evaluating rental applications to taking payments. During the application process we implement advanced screening methods that keep us within compliance of Fair Housing Laws and help us to identify the best possible tenant for your property. When you want to find out more about how we evaluate rental applications please call us today at (562) 888-0247.

To help you see how those rental applications can transform into value for your specific property in Long Beach we invite you to fill out our free rental analysis form.

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Having clear communication with your tenant is essential for maintaining a healthy landlord-tenant relationship. By being transparent in all relevant interactions, landlords can prevent misunderstandings while resolving repairs and disputes efficiently while improving tenant satisfaction. Having good communication with your tenant is beneficial for landlords too. Effective communication also protects your investment property. Remember that while your tenant is living in the property, landlords need to take care of the repairs. Below are the three best things to do during tenant communications. Prompt Responses Addressing tenant concerns quickly is essential for building trust and maintaining a positive relationship. Tenants feel valued when landlords respond quickly, knowing that their needs are being prioritized. Building this trust not only enhances your tenant’s satisfaction it lowers the possibility of conflicts or misunderstandings to arise. This ultimately creates a healthy and successful rental experience for you and your tenant. Some of the most common inquiries will oftentimes include repair requests, among others. As an example; if your tenant reports a leak under their faucet and the repair is delayed, this can be damaging to your landlord-tenant relationship, as well as your property. If left ignored, that leak can result in hundreds of dollars in water damage and a vacancy . Which can further affect our bottom line negatively. For landlords with multiple properties, this can become difficult to keep track of. A property manager can help with scheduling repairs and communicating with your tenant on your behalf. Document Everything Keeping a detailed record of all interactions with your tenant is an important element when managing a property. There are many choices for documentation including email, text, or written notices. Although many property management companies and landlords have opted to use apps or dedicated tenant portals to log communications. A great example, for instance, a tenant may claim they’d reported a repair issue that was never addressed, if everything is to be documented, both you and the tenant would have a copy of the request. Maintaining transparency with tenants. Having thorough documentation ensures agreements and requests between all parties are clearly tracked. Documenting communications with your tenant provides landlords with a foundation for addressing misunderstandings, or disputes if and when they arise. Provide Regular Updates Regular updates show tenants that their landlord is organized and has an attentive approach to managing their property. Giving tenants ample time for maintenance, inspections or policy changes is a simple way to build trust with your tenants while showing your professionalism. Giving tenants advanced notices reassures them that you’re aware of how changes can affect them and you understand that time might be needed in order to adjust. Surprises are best kept for birthday parties. Proactively notifying tenants of changes helps clear the communication channels and minimizes disruptions which helps tenants feel valued and satisfied. These small yet consistent efforts can contribute to a positive tenant stay, which can encourage lease renewals and long-term tenancy. Additionally, having a good relationship with your tenants can give you a great reputation which can provide you with leads when looking to fill a vacancy . It cannot be understated the importance of communication for a healthy landlord-tenant relationship. Even if your tenant may not agree with some of the decisions a landlord needs to make, by giving your tenants ample time to process the change tenants generally are more accepting of said change. If you’re having trouble communicating with your tenants or if you need help managing Beach City rental property, we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 or complete our Owner Application online .
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