Best Ways to Screen Prospective Tenants

Jackie A • Feb 14, 2023

Screening Tenants

NewLandlords in San Diego must ensure they are renting their property to the best possible tenant. There are many ways to screen prospective tenants at each has its advantages and disadvantages. What is important is that your screening process must not be discriminatory and, at the same time, works best for you. Therefore, we will give you some screening tools and enable you to screen tenants without prejudice.


1. A Credit Report


You ought to order a credit report to ensure you rent to a financially stable and reliable tenant. This will reveal any delinquent accounts or bankruptcies, giving insight into the applicant's fiscal responsibility and stability. In addition, the report offers a clear understanding of the financial trends in the history of a person that impacts their overall viability as a prospective tenant.


2. References


A property owner in San Diego must ask for applicants' references. It gives a better insight into the person there considering. In addition, contacting the previous landlord or employer is an effective way to assess any potential tenant's trustworthiness, attitude toward payments, and other general expectations. However, you must be careful. Be sure that any questions you ask are objective and non-discriminatory, and gather information that does not show unfair bias.


3. A Full Background Check


The background check is essential for ensuring the safety of the property. Be able to uncover any criminal history that the tenant may have and additional information that can help a landlord in San Diego decide if the applicant would be suitable for the property. The criminal background check also helps ensure the other tenants are safe and the neighbors are not in danger because of this new person in the area.


What is extremely important in the screening process is that you have the applicant's permission to do any of the above. Ordinarily, this means including language on the application that indicates the applicant has approved for the screening. The language should be above the signature line of the application. It is up to you to ensure that the signature and the date are on the application before you initiate any screening.


Screening Requires Caution


The Fair Housing Act and the landlord-tenant laws are firm about the penalties for discriminatory practices. You cannot afford to make mistakes in the screening process. Some landlords will ask a third party to do the screening to avoid any problems. It is a promising idea, but we suggest you go further. Property management companies in San Diego are familiar with the law and can perform screening as one of the services they provide to clients. If you want to consider using a property management company in San Diego, Alta Vista Properties is one of the best.


Our Screening Is Objective


We have provided service for clients in the rental property industry of San Diego, and we are very familiar with the law. We will conduct legitimate screenings that provide the information necessary without showing any bias towards a protected class. We will see that the law is obeyed strictly and the best applicants result from our efforts.


Screening and interviewing applicants is just one of our services. We can also help with financial reports that you need, safely collect rent, and handle lease administration daily. Alta Vista Properties is detail-oriented, and we do everything to guarantee our clients have a steady cash flow and properties that reliable tenants inhabit.


Please do inquire at any time about our property management services. You can reach us at 858-274-3600 or by email at info@altavistaProperties.net. We look forward to hearing from you and answering your questions about what we do as a property management company in San Diego




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