"Rental Property Application Tips"

As a landlord of 2-4 unit properties, you'll need a good rental property application to help screen potential tenants. Click here to access the one I use, plus 24 other landlord forms, for free.

CONTENTS OF A GOOD RENTAL PROPERTY APPLICATION

Your rental application should provide everything you need to run a credit check, verify income, and investigate previous tenancies. Specifically:

• Name and social security number to check creditworthiness.
• Previous addresses, including prior landlord contact info so you can call and get the scoop.
• Current employment details so you can make sure the applicant can afford the rent.
• Request for disclosure of prior evictions. Whenever an applicant has previously been evicted, automatically reject him.
• Names of all intended occupants.

RENTAL APPLICATION TIPS

• Charge an application fee to cover your expense (I charge $25)
• Ask for ID after the applicant completes the application to verify identity
• Verify written employment info by asking for the applicant's 2 most recent pay stubs
• Call current employers and prior landlords to get information
• If possible, try and verify the written employer phone numbers...you never know if you might be talking to the applicant's buddy on the other end!
• Be skeptical when calling previous landlords (do it, but have your "BS Radar" on high alert)
• If you find any inaccurate info on the rental application, immediately reject the applicant because he is trying to hide something.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE RENTAL PROPERTY APPLICATION

Click here to download a PDF version of a property rental application you can use right now (note: you'll need Adobe Reader...to download a copy, click here).

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