If you are looking to rent a new place, be aware that landlords have different ways of checking to see if potential tenants have had any issues in the past. With websites and landlord connections in their arsenal, they can investigate to see if you have a history of causing problems.
Different websites offer previous landlords the chance to warn fellow landlords about bad tenants. Websites like donotrentto.com and tenantdispute.com provide a place for landlords to do some research on potential tenants. They can read descriptions and warnings of bad tenants who make late payments, destroy property, refuse to vacate the premise or who create any other issues.
In addition to these websites, landlords may research your rental history. They may talk to your previous landlords so they can find out if there were ever any problems and they can check out your experiences as a renter to help them decide if you are a good tenant.
Since rent is commonly one of the big issues between landlords and tenants, landlords may want to verify your employment status and income. They do this to make sure that you will be able to afford rent, which can help avoid any rent related problems in the future.
If you do have a bad credit score, a criminal record, were ever evicted or are worried about what a previous landlord will say about you, just preface the issue with the owner. Sometimes, if you talk to them and explain what happened or the situation you are in and how you are working to fix it, they may be more likely to negate the issue.
When looking at potential tenants to see if they have a history of causing problems, landlords may access different websites for anecdotes from previous landlords or they can also research your rental history.
This post was written by Stephen Hachey. Follow Stephen on Google, Facebook, Twitter & Linkedin.
