14 Ways to Get Better Tenants in Your Rental Homes in Detroit MI – Part 2

What’s up. I’m back for part two on things you can do to get better tenants in your rental homes in Detroit.

Click below if you want to check out part one.

See if You Can Get Inside

I’ve never done this, but I recently heard another landlord talk about this, and it’s a great idea.

He simply stops by unannounced, and acts as if he forgot to go over some paperwork, or that he they needs their signature on another form.

Once he explains why he’s there, he asks, “Mind if I come inside?”

Bam.

One of the worst mistakes I ever made was adding stuff to my lease myself that I didn’t know wouldn’t hold up legally.

I won’t go into details, but let’s just say that I left 36th District Court with egg on my face when I tried to sue an old tenant.

Let me know when you’re done laughing at me.

Anyways, I wish I would’ve found out a lot earlier that the lease wasn’t solid.

I would’ve saved myself a lot of time and anguish.

This is crucial.

You want them to sign the lease at the property, so you can snap pictures that explain their grading on the condition of the house.

Then, see if you can get them in one of your pictures that you’re taking of them going through the walk through with you.

This can help you cover your butt, in the event that you have a legal dispute with them regarding damages.

Having them initial the bottom of every page verifies that they acknowledged and understand the contents of each page.

On top of that, it puts a mental note in the back of their head that they agreed to the contents of the lease.

You can also run a TeleCheck report to see if they have a history of bounced checks.

Usually your first contact with a prospect will be over the phone or email.

No one likes wasting time or gas money, so use the phone or email as your first chance to screen them out.

Remind them of the rental rate. Give them some specifics about your policies.

Tell them some of the flaws of the property.

Tell them anything that could screen them out.

Take notes from the initial conversation, and attach them to the applicant’s rental application later.

If they look ungroomed, or seem to have a little “thug” in them, pay attention to your hunches.

Quite often I’ve found that a person’s grooming is a reflection of their home living environment.

Besides, they should be trying to make a good impression on you.

If their appearance is shabby, and their mannerisms are questionable, trust your gut.

I charge the tenants that apply $20.

I use these funds to pay for the fees I have to pay to screen the tenants and run reports on them.

Good luck with your tenants.

Remember, you can’t make money from a rental property if no one is paying the rent!

Can you think of any other tips for screening tenants?

What kind of experiences have you had using some of the tactics mentioned in this series? Leave a comment!