Should you accept a tenant without references?
References are rare here. What to ask for instead.
References are rare here. What to ask for instead.
Formal references barely exist in this market, so asking for them mostly filters out honest people who have never been asked before. Here is what actually tells you something.
- Their previous landlord's number, and permission to call it
- Where they work, and roughly how long they have been there
- Whether they can pay the advance immediately
- Whether they will sign a written agreement
- How they answer questions — evasiveness is information
The one call worth making
Ring the previous landlord and ask two questions: did they pay on time, and would you rent to them again? The pause before the answer tells you as much as the answer.
Be reasonable
A student with no rental history is not a risk, they are a student. A guarantor — a parent or employer willing to be named — solves this without excluding people unfairly.
What not to do
Do not screen on tribe, region or religion. Beyond being wrong, it narrows your pool and costs you money, and word travels in a city this size.
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