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How to Check a Prospective Tenant’s Rental History

As a landlord, you don’t want to let your rental apartment stay vacant for a long period of time, but at the same time, you want to protect your investment as well. While it may be tempting to rent your property quickly in the interest of making a profit, renting it to the wrong tenants can cause numerous problems such as non-payment of rent, damage to the property, disruption to the neighbors, and more. We understand that with so many tenants looking for houses for rent, finding the right one can be difficult. That’s the reason why most landlords use various screening methods like criminal background checks, verification of credit scores, eviction history, and bank accounts among others.

Among these, one of the most important factors that play a vital role in the tenant screening process is the tenant’s rental history. Running a background check on a tenant’s rental history allows landlords to uncover details about an applicant’s previous residences and confirm whether the information provided by them is authentic or not. To help you find the right tenant for your rental property, we will discuss some of the most effective ways to check a tenant’s rental history. Keep reading the blog till the end.

Top 5 Ways to Check a Tenant's Rental History

Most Effective Ways to Check a Tenant’s Rental History

Checking a tenant’s rental history gives you the opportunity to verify creditworthiness, along with the ability and willingness to pay rent. Some of the top ways to check a tenant’s rental history have been mentioned below.

  • Credit History

By running a check on your tenant’s credit history, you can have a clear idea of whether he/she is financially capable enough to rent your property and pay debts on time. For instance, should you be located in Kelowna or nearby areas, you can easily check the credit report of your prospective tenants through online tenant screening services and credit bureau before you put your home rentals in Kelowna on rent.

  • Criminal Background Check

Criminal background checks will help you find whether the tenant has committed any serious or minor offense. This way you’ll be able to avoid putting your property as well as the neighborhood at risk. You’ll just need the tenant’s name and date of birth to run the background check.

  • Eviction History

Another effective way to check a tenant’s rental history is by finding out if the applicant has ever been evicted from a rental property. The eviction history report will not only help you find the right tenant but also in avoiding the costs associated with lost rent, vacancy, resident damage, and delinquent rent collection.

If you are a resident of Kelownaor nearby areas and need help in finding ideal tenants, reach out to Homefinders. We offer a pre-screened tenant database of tenants who are looking for homes for rent in Kelowna.

  • Employment Verification

Although the tenant will provide you with proof of income, we would recommend you to contact their current employer and verify their employment status and history. This will help you find out whether or not the tenant is capable of paying the rent regularly.

  • Contacting the Previous Landlords

If possible, get in touch with the tenant’s previous landlords. A brief conversation with them will help you verify that the tenant didn’t lie on their application. Some of the questions that you can ask the previous landlords include:

  • Did the tenant pay rent on time?
  • How did he/she keep their apartment?
  • Did they cause any damage to the apartment?

Wrapping Up

There you go. By following these steps, you will not only be able to make sure you get the right folks into your properties but also alleviate the stress and the expense associated with it. Should you be looking for a team that can help you post your rental listings and find the right tenants for your rental apartment, reach out to us. At Homefinders, we offer the best platforms to advertise and manage your rental listings and provide a pre-screened tenant database of tenants searching for houses for rent. To get in touch with us, call @ 250-899-8133.

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