Key Post Tips for vetting tenants

E

Elcato

Guest
I have always rented my house through an agency and am finding the costs rather expensive . I would like to organise my own tenants but I am a little nervous about it. Grateful for any information that would make the process easier

thank you in advance

Rose
 
Do the following at a minimum

Advertise in Evening Herald - reasonably cheap.
Get 3 references - Bank, previous landlord and work.
Verify the references - ring the referees and check that the references are genuine.
Ask their current landlord why they are leaving.
Talk to the tenants and try to sound them out - down to intuition really.
Ask them why they are leaving their current landlord - make sure the answer matches the one the landlord gave you.
Get a deposit equal to one months rent.
Get a tight letting agreement drawn up.
Visit the property regularly to check on it (quarterly).
Pray.
 
tenancy agreements

I think you can buy a standard tenancy agreement from the legal stationery shops dotted around the Four Courts, much easier and safer than drawing one up yourself.

Also it's a good idea to get the name, address and telephone number of the parents of the tenant - great physcology!!

Sarah

www.rea.ie
 
Re: tenancy agreements

Hi Sarah - You're not seriously telling me that you ask grown-up adults for their Mammy's name & number. Fortunately, it's a long time since I've been renting, but if anyone had asked for parental details, once I stopped laughing I would have given them short shrift. Sure why not go the whole hog and call their national school teacher to see if they were nice boys/girls when they were 10.

Do you worry about the offence you might cause to those whose parents are dead? Do you ask non-Irish tenants for Mamon's details?

Regards - RainyDay
 
Re: tenancy agreements

I remember being asked for a signed letter from my parents when I wanted to join the local library a few years ago. I was 30 at the time. >:

BTW, they didn't get it & I got my library books. :lol

Tommy
 
older and wiser......

Adult tenants, no but anyone under 25 (ish) yes I would get the parents details. Many years ago I had a flat in London which was let through an agency. A couple of lovebirds moved in, lasted aprox. 3 months and then she did a runner. The wise old agent popped round to the parents who not only cleared the arrears but went round to the flat, persuaded the boyfriend (who couldn't afford the rent on his own) to leave and gave the place a good clean!

Sarah.

www.rea.ie
 
But I'm young looking

Do you have to provide this to rent a house? :eek

If so, even the rental maket isn't safe from the DOB big Brother.
 
Re: But I'm young looking

Sarah

I think your advice is very practical. It might also be a good idea to ask the parent to act as guarantor.

I wouldn't like to be asked for my parents' phone number if I was renting a house, but I would give it to reassure the landlord.

Brendan
 
Asking 25 year olds to provide their parent's phone number?? This is ridiculous, not to say insulting to adults who want to rent an apartment. What has my renting of an apartment got to do with my parents? Mind you, I had an experience of late where a land lady wouldn't even show me an apartment, let alone let it to me, because I wasn't female. And don't get me started on the constant demand for Irish utility bills when I haven't lived in Ireland for years...

>:

DD.
 
deposits

I've also lived abroad for years, especially in the Far East, and I'm actually amazed at how slack the system is here.

When renting an appartment in most Asian countries you will need;

Two months rent as deposit
An additional one months rent in advance
A 'utilities' deposit, usuall equivalent to 50% of the rent.

Thats a total of three and a half times the monthly rent...up front, before you'll be let anywhere near the place.

Very few people get to do a runner in this kind of scenario.
 
Meet them and go with your gut feeling - you'll always do right. References are a dissuasion to even the most decent prospective tenants and don't really tell you much.

Then ask for a full month's deposit and a full month's rent in advance. Provide a full inventory of all house contents and get the tenant to sign it (or draw up a tenancy agreement which contains this). Get a rent book and issue receipts. You won't have the right to visit the place regularly as one person suggested and tenants usually behave better when they're left alone anyway. Professional people tend to be better tenants than unemployed people or students. Rather than ask for the mammy's address, you could ask for an alternative one, which ought to come to the same thing but which won't cause offence.

Threshold have a booklet on becoming a landlord - you could give them a ring and ask them to send you a copy.
 
I'd recommend that any prospective first-time landlords pop down to their local Xtravision and rent out [broken link removed](with Michael Keaton & Melanie Griffiths), just so you have an idea of what lies ahead.
 
Chris200 said...... "You won't have the right to visit the place regularly as one person suggested"

The 'right to inspect' is contained in all standard forms of letting agreements, subject only to it being done at "reasonable times".

Otherwise, chris's points are valid, esp regarding leaving well alone if you can.

Wings
 
vetting tenants

many thanks everone for all your help.
delighted to have been the instigator of such a lively discussion
Regards

Rose
 
Right to Inspect

The 'right to inspect' is contained in all standard forms of letting agreements, subject only to it being done at "reasonable times".

A question or two...

Does a Landlord have a right to enter the property without prior agreement with the tenant? Can the Landlord enter the property when the tenant is not present?


Regards,

Peadar
 
Re: Right to Inspect

Hi Peader - Generally NO - Check out the detail of your own letting agreement to be certain. Feel free to contact Threshold if you're having difficulties with an invading landlord.
 
Recommended viewing

I'd recommend that any prospective first-time landlords pop down to their local Xtravision and rent out 'Pacific Heights'

Or [broken link removed]! :eek
 
Re: >> tips for vetting tenants

I agree with Sarah.I have been in the business for many years and always ask for ,as i put it ,'next of kin details in the event of anything unexpected happening to you- death , or serious accident '.Sometimes it can be handy to be armed with a close contact - trouble from client etc.
One tennant got seriously ill and we used their of kin tel no.to the delight of their parents.You would have to diplomatic with it's use.Also tennants getting into arrears.
Not one prospective tennant ever refused tio give these details.
You can visit the client's room with their premission as i do on a weekly basis to collect rent which i would recommend and in my experience tennats do behave better when you are around.
When you are not around things get get out of hand over a long period- bullying can take place, etc.Also yuo can see damage for yourself which never gets reported to you - usually friends of clients.
Best of luck
 
Re: >> tips for vetting tenants

When renting I have never been asked for parents phone number etc, with the abundance of rental accomadation I'd reckon most would look elsewhere rather have their independence lessened.
 
Re: Key Post: tips for vetting tenants

I realise that this is an old thread but I reckon it is still relevant. I agree that asking for next of kin details is useful - in case anything happens to the tenant but also in case they do a runner.
It wouldn't happen often but I had a 28 year old tenant who did a runner from an apartment owing me three months rent by the time he left. In many ways I was glad he did a runner because the length of time it would have taken to get him out legally would have been far longer. Although I had his employment references when I contacted his place of work to speak to him I was informed that he had been dismissed. I had asked for next of kin details when he moved in and therefore had his mother's address and could make contact through that address. Unfortunately his mother now denies that she has a son at all!! When people are dodgy like that I suppose the best that you can hope for is that you don't get stung too badly...
The bottom line is that no matter how much info you have on people or how much checking you do sometimes you can still get caught out. However most of the tenants I've dealt with in the last ten years have been fine.
 
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