At Laurel Property Services, we have not evicted a tenant in over six years. That’s because we work hard to place highly qualified, cooperative residents in the homes we manage. Many of the tenants we work with were referred to us from other tenants. This demonstrates our commitment to finding, placing, and retaining the best renters out there.
Without a thorough screening process, you run the risk of late or missing rental payments, excessive property damage, and lease violations. We know there’s a lot involved in placing tenants, and if you don’t think you have the time or the resources to adequately and effectively screen tenants, turn the process over to a professional Golden property management company. We have the knowledge and the experience to ensure only well-qualified tenants are moving into your property.
Screening in Compliance with Fair Housing Laws
Before you start screening tenants, get to know the federal Fair Housing Act as well as any state and local fair housing rules in Jefferson County. You’re prohibited from discriminating against applicants based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status, religion, or disability. You probably wouldn’t discriminate intentionally, but the way you handle each application could lead you to discriminate without even realizing it. That can lead you to an expensive fair housing claim and a potential lawsuit. Screen every applicant consistently.
We recommend that you establish standard rental criteria, including your credit standards, income standards, and whether you’ll be willing to rent to a person with an eviction or a criminal history. When you can provide these criteria in writing to your potential tenants before they even apply, you can demonstrate exactly what you’re using to make your decisions.
Golden Colorado Property Management Background Checks
It’s important to check for criminal history. Don’t just check in with your local police department; conduct a national search for any history of violent crimes. You’ll have to decide what you will accept and what you will not. Many landlords are fine with minor offenses from decades ago.
Look for past evictions as well. You may not want to rent to tenants who have been evicted in the recent past or evicted at all. You can set these standards as long as you’re consistent. Maybe someone who was evicted 10 years ago but has done a good job establishing a solid rental history since then is acceptable but an applicant with four evictions in the last five years is not.
Review Credit, Income, and Financial History
Checking a credit report is always a good idea for a couple of reasons. You’ll want to know about your applicant’s financial behaviors, and you’ll also want to make sure that information lines up with what you have on the application. If there are different past addresses on the credit report that aren’t on the application, you may want to explore that. Make sure you’re getting a full picture. When you’re reviewing the credit report, focus on the debt that makes a difference. Student loans and medical bills won’t necessarily impact your decision, but you don’t want to see money owed to former landlords or utility companies.
We screen tenants all the time, and we do a good job with it. When you need some help from a Golden, Arvada, Morrison, Wheatridge, Lakewood property management company, contact us at Laurel Property Services. We’ll be sure to place a high-quality tenant in your rental property.
