Add low-tech methods to tenant screening

Technology can help you quickly learn many things about a person—credit score, employment history, salary—but it can’t guarantee you will identify a good tenant. Adding a few low-tech touches can help you round out the process.

Ask a potential tenant to complete the application in your presence. This strategy reduces the time he has to fabricate references or line up other false information. If the applicant needs to fill in some information later, he can always call you. This also gives you an opportunity to meet him and talk for a few minutes. Personal contact can go a long way toward starting your manager-tenant or landlord-tenant relationship on the right foot.

Don’t rush through the process of finding a tenant. Just because technology makes it possible to gather information more quickly doesn’t mean you should rush to a decision if you don’t yet have all the specifics you need. Be meticulous with your background checks and ensure you’ve given each applicant a thorough evaluation. Taking your time to find the best-qualified applicant will pay off in the future with fewer problems.

However you screen tenants, always follow the Fair Housing Act and document the process. See the Commercial column in the January/February Texas Realtor® for more tenant-screening tips.

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