Landlords who primarily rent to college students tend to run into specific issues that other property owners may not face. It’s important to be aware of these potential pitfalls and landlord challenges to make the most of your experience as a landlord.

If you own rental property near a college or university, use these tips when renting to college students and other rental applicants to avoid headaches and stay profitable:

1. It’s All in the Lease

It’s crucial to set specific house (or apartment) rules and get it in writing. Establish set policies about occupancy, how many guests they can have over at any one time, and how subletting should be handled should the need arise. Create a “late fee” policy as well as fees and fines that will be deducted for specific infractions such as property damage, not cleaning the unit before they vacate, etc. Put it all in writing in the lease, and make sure each renter reads and signs it.

2. Screen Each Candidate

A look into the background of each potential renter can either confirm their reputation or alert you to red flags about their past. Credit checks, criminal records, tenant eviction records and their history as a renter can all be checked with a quality tenant screening service.

3. Enact a Flammables Policy

Some landlords who rent primarily to students establish a “no flammables” policy for their own as well as the students’ protection. This means that smoking as well as open flames are not allowed; this would include candles, incense and bonfires in the yard. If flammables will be allowed in your property, be sure to enforce the presence of a fire extinguisher on the property and ensure that each tenant knows how to use it.

4. Make Utilities Their Responsibility

Some young adults haven’t yet learned how to handle responsibilities such as turning down the heat at night or making sure the windows are closed when running the A/C. While you might consider including fixed services like Internet or trash pickup in the rental cost, it’s best to make more open-ended services like heat and electric the tenant’s responsibility.

Renting to college students has its share of potential challenges, but it can also be very lucrative and rewarding. Use these four tips to help you connect with high caliber tenants and make the most of your experience while renting to college students.

Disclaimer: The information on this website does not constitute legal advice and is governed by our Terms of Use. We make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to this website and its associated sites.

Federal Fair Housing rules prohibit landlords from discriminating against rental applicants in a number of key areas. These include:

Race. Racial discrimination, whether subtle or overt, is prohibited by law.

National Origin. Favoring those who come from a specific country is illegal, as is denying anyone from a specific nation. In some states, when screening tenants, it’s also illegal to ask applicants about their citizenship or immigration status.

Religion. Denying an applicant on the basis of their religion or giving priority to those of a certain religion is illegal.

Age or Family Status. Landlords cannot turn a renter away based upon their age or family status, including if a woman is single, pregnant and/or has children. The presence of children is not a valid or legal reason for rejecting an applicant. Designating an unreasonably low occupancy limit for any rental unit is illegal as well.

Disability. Rejecting an applicant based upon physical or mental disabilities is illegal as well. When they screen tenants, landlords may not ask if an applicant has a disability or request to see their medical records. Those in addiction recovery (actively receiving treatment and/or attending meetings) may not be rejected based upon their past misuse of substances (unless they were convicted of drug manufacture or dealing.)

That said, there are numerous valid and legal reasons that a landlord can (and should) pass on a rental applicant and continue to screen tenants for more desirable candidates. These include:

Insufficient income. Ideally, if the monthly rent is over one-third of an applicant’s verified monthly income, they probably cannot afford the unit.

Past eviction record and/or negative feedback from past landlords. A poor track record with other landlords is a clear red flag.

Poor credit and/or too many debts. A credit report or tenant screening service can help a landlord to screen tenants and gain insight into the credit history of applicants. Those with high debt and a history of late or missed payments could be problem renters.

Criminal convictions. A criminal record is another potentially valid reason for rejecting an applicant (although it can depend upon the crime and when it occurred in some states.)

Landlords can save themselves a lot of issues down the road by following these guidelines when they screen tenants. A quality tenant screening service can assist in finding many of the legal reasons that a tenant should be rejected.

Disclaimer: The information on this website does not constitute legal advice and is governed by our Terms of Use. We make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to this website and its associated sites.

Tenants can make or break the experience of being a landlord. While great tenants can mean a hassle-free and lucrative investment, nightmare tenants bring stress and the potential to lose money from missed rent and costly repairs. While instincts count, sometimes they aren’t enough to screen out terrible tenants.

Use these seven tips for screening tenants to avoid problem renters and connect with the best tenants:

1. Start Screening Tenants from First Contact

Watch for red flags or signs of trouble the moment a prospective tenant reaches out. Missed calls, being late for appointments, or sharing drama about their personal lives could be signs of unreliability.

2. Meet Them in Person

Meeting face to face before renting to someone is key to getting a better sense of their character.

3. Have Them Fill out a Rental Application

A written rental application allows for the collection of all relevant information needed to make a sound decision when renting a property. Make sure the application covers all data points.

4. Ask for Proof of Identity

Confirm identity by asking to see a valid photo ID such as a driver’s license from all potential tenants, and write down the number on their rental application.

5. Follow the FHA (Fair Housing Act)

Do not discriminate against any applicant based upon race, culture or religious orientation. Also, make sure to indicate on the rental application what will be done with the information provided. For example, if using a tenant screening service or calling character references, get their permission to do so.

6. Use a Tenant Screening Service

A comprehensive background check is one of the best ways to screen potential renters. The best tenants screening companies offer county criminal background checks, Federal background checks, instant national eviction record, social security traces, and sex offender registry search.

7. Confirm Their Character

Get the contact information of their previous landlord so that you can call and confirm that they were a reliable tenant. Ask for three character references that you can call as well.

Not all tenants are a good fit, and screening tenants effectively requires a blend of intuition, common sense and not leaving anything to chance. Use these seven tips to steer clear of problem tenants and increase the chances of forming lasting, mutually beneficial tenant-landlord relationships.

Disclaimer: The information presented is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Landlords have many responsibilities to their renters, such as keeping the property safe from dangerous conditions. This means, among other things, keeping handrails stable, repairing broken appliances and fixing leaky roofs. They also have a responsibility to take reasonable measures to keep their tenants safe from criminal activity. This is particularly important in apartment complexes where many different people live in close proximity to each other. Therefore, landlord application screening is already common in these apartment complexes.

One step landlords can take to protect apartment tenants is to do a national criminal record search on all housing applicants. Federal law prevents rental discrimination against anyone based on their age, race, disability, sex, color, religion or national origin. But, people with a criminal record are not a protected class under the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

Megan’s Law and sexual offenders

When an apartment complex includes children as residents, it is important to protect them from sexual offenders. All states have some form of what is called Megan’s Law which requires sexual offenders to register with the state. The state then keeps a list of all sexual offenders that are released. Laws vary as to how this information is used. In some states, anyone can check the registry to see if an offender lives near them. Other states restrict who has access to the information and how the information is used.

A criminal background search performed by a reputable company, as part of a landlord application screening process, will discover whether or not an applicant has a sex offender registry record. If so, a landlord can review the criminal record and the circumstances surrounding the criminal offense and make an informed decision as to whether or not to approve the application.

There is a fine line landlords must walk in refusing to rent to a registered sex offender. In some states, California for example, landlords are prohibited from denying a rental application based solely on the fact that the prospective tenant’s name is found on the state’s sexual offender list. But, they can refuse to rent to people based of their criminal record in general. Before approving any rental application, landlord application screening should include a criminal background search.

Disclaimer: The information presented is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Most landlords want to make sure the neighborhoods where their properties are located remain good, safe neighborhoods. Even though many do not live there themselves, they still have a responsibility to be a good landlord and keep up property values. One of the best ways that landlords can do this is to make sure they only put the best quality tenants in their properties by screening rental applicants. These are people who will be good neighbors in their stead, keep up the property, and treat it as if it were their own. To get these tenants, landlords need to engage in careful and detailed rental screening for all the applicants.

The Basics

At a minimum, landlords should be screening rental applicants for criminal backgrounds and previous evictions. While not every criminal record is serious enough to warrant excluding someone from renting a property, diligent landlords should check and make the decision for themselves as to whether a criminal record is a warning as to how someone will treat a property and whether they will be safe for the neighbors to be around.

People with previous evictions may or may not be excluded based on the circumstances of their eviction and what condition they left the property in when they left. Anyone can fall on hard times temporarily and have to leave a rental property; it is the way they treated the property upon leaving that is the most telling of what kind of renter they will be, assuming they now have the appropriate steady income to keep up the rent.

Violent sex offenders have to register their dwelling place, and it will be easy for neighbors to look online and discover they are living in your property. A sex offender registry check should always be included when screening rental applicants.

Why Tenant Screening Credit Reports are Important

Some landlords screen for credit history, while others do not. It is in the best interest of most landlords to do this screening and to rent to those with good credit histories. This is because someone with a good credit history will naturally want to protect it. They’ve probably worked very hard to get it, and are not likely to risk losing their good credit history by not paying rent or by trashing the place when they leave. People with good credit histories generally make more responsible tenants.

Other Things to Consider When Screening Rental Applicants

To really get to know potential renters and make a reasonable deduction as to how they will treat the property and whether they will be reliable with rent, a landlord might look into other things. Obtaining references from previous landlords, references from previous neighbors, and even looking at pay stubs, bank statements, and tax returns are all things that can give a landlord a better idea of a tenant’s prospects in their property.

Conclusion

The Fair Housing Act prohibits landlords from discrimination in renting on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, familial status or disability. Additionally, landlords must know their State and Local laws. Landlords are allowed to use other factors to determine if a rental applicant will make a good tenant. These include consumer credit, previous rental history, income, and rental references.

One of the best ways to find out if someone is going to be a good tenant is to do a thorough screening and use a company that specializes in screening rental applicants for landlords.

Disclaimer: The information presented is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.