THE GOOD VS. THE UGLY: POSING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO YOUR TENANT
As a property owner, it is important to be well-aware of your tenants’ backgrounds. This information may prove crucial while deciding whether or not the tenant can be trusted, or can be used at a later point during the tenancy if the need arises. Certain questions, however, may be disturbing to the tenant and could be considered as invasion of privacy. Here’s a guide to what questions are ideal to put forward to your potential tenants:
- Headcount: It is important to know how many people are going to be occupying the property. You don’t want ten people cramped up in a two-bedroom apartment—maintenance becomes harder, and it is not practical.
- Confirmation: Run through all the payments the tenant will have to make, and ensure that they are wellaware of them. Also inform them of the security deposit to be paid once the agreement is signed.
- Reason for Shift: Get to know why the potential tenant is looking for a place. This can act as an indirect signal as to whether the tenant has a tendency to turn problematic.
- Anticipated move-in date: Tenants who seem to be in a hurry to move in need to be dealt with caution. Unless the reason for the sudden shifting is legitimate, potential tenants must be given a minimum of one month to move in.
- Length of lease: The owner must have an idea of how long the tenant intends to occupy the property – a short-term or a long-term tenancy period.
- Income/employment status: The ideal income landlords look for in clients is a monthly income that is around or more than 3 times the rent. The potential tenant’s position at their workplace is important to be aware of, because an unsteady job can lead to issues with paying rent on time.
- Clarifying tenant queries: Make sure the tenant is at ease to inquire about absolutely anything regarding the property. Before signing the deal, clear up any pending doubts, inform them of the payment and slowly help them feel comfortable to communicate whenever they need to.
Pay heed to the nature and content of the response to these questions. A lot of information about the tenant’s behaviour can be easily obtained via the interview. Some of them may really be quite the life-saver for you as an owner. For example, when asked the reason for changing residence, if the potential tenant complains about a troublesome landlord, neighbour or area, it could be a red flag.
Along with this, it is of utmost importance to make sure the following characteristics regarding the tenant are not mentioned while asking questions:
- Disability
- Religion, Caste
- Marital status
- Sexual orientation
- Any other possible protected class-related topics
Demanding answers to such topics can come off as considering the tenant’s position in these categories as a criterion in determining whether to sign them on – simply put: as discrimination.Thus, it requires the owner to be cautious to ask the right yet appropriate questions in order to analyze the tenant’s overall interactivity but at the same time, not intrude their privacy or offend them in any manner. Be patient and observant: any step you take could be a landmine and therefore, it is crucial to plan your way out of the maze beforehand.
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