When buying a home costs 38% more than renting in North Carolina, landlords can expect an influx of rental applications. While having a larger applicant pool sounds positive, it can also create more difficulty. With more applicants to choose from, there is a greater risk of choosing a problematic tenant.
Careful applicant screening is a must. Keep these dos and don'ts in mind when performing your tenant background check.
Do Verify Information
While we all hope applicants are honest, this is not always the case. Thorough rental property screening is a must to ensure you select the right tenant. This is even more important with rental applicant scams on the rise.
Review each rental application for accuracy. Confirm employment information by calling the employer. Pull criminal and background reports. Call previous landlords to verify the tenant's history and performance in previous rental properties.
Don't Make Emotional Decisions
Stick to your tenant verification process no matter who the applicant is. While it can be tempting to friends and family, this often ends in disappointment.
Similarly, you may have an applicant who pulls on your heart with their story. While it is good to want to help people, you also do not want to fall for a false story. This could result in your dealing with a tenant who is delinquent in their rent.
Do not let your emotions rule your decisions when screening applicants. Instead, make decisions based on facts.
Do Follow the Law
One of the most important tenant screening tips is always to follow the law. First, there is North Carolina landlord/tenant law. These laws outline the requirements you must follow when running applicant criminal and background checks.
You must also follow Federal and North Carolina Fair Housing laws. These laws protect individuals who are a part of a protected class. Landlords cannot discriminate against applicants because of their race, sex, color, religion, national origin, family status, or physical or mental handicap.
Don't Do Tenant Screening Alone
Thorough tenant screening can take time, attention, and energy. You must also know what to look for when reviewing a tenant background report. Working with a property manager can give you valuable insight.
A property manager performs many more applicant screenings and knows the signs of a questionable one. Their experience can help you identify a high-quality tenant that fits your criteria.
Perform Better Tenant Background Checks
Knowing the dos and don'ts of tenant background checks is the first step to having a positive landlord experience. Thorough tenant screening requires you to verify the provided information. Avoid making emotional decisions that could compromise your rental investment.
Always follow the law when requesting background checks and choosing a tenant. Finally, you don't have to perform tenant screening alone. An experienced property manager can do it for you, applying their experience, skill, and knowledge.
The Carolina Property Management, LLC team knows how to screen tenants. Our team regularly performs thorough tenant screening for our client property owners.
Contact our team and learn about our uniquely thorough tenant screening process.
