Evictions in Chattanooga have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Being a rental property owner comes with a huge set of perks, but there are downsides as well. No landlord wants to evict a tenant, but when your rental investment is being put at risk, you must take action. That said, there are things you can do to mitigate the risk of eviction.
The most effective tactic is to get tenant placement services to perform thorough tenant screening. In today's post, we'll explain how we go about a tenant criminal background check, as well as a few of the other things we do to find great renters. Keep reading and you'll be able to protect your investment property by preventing delinquent tenants.
Tenant Criminal Background Check
When we're screening tenants for our clients, the first thing we do is perform a criminal background check. This is done through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and tells us about any criminal activity that an applicant has been charged with in the past.
Why is this important? What most landlords don't realize is that around 1 in 3 Americans has a criminal record. A tenant who withholds information about their criminal history might not be someone you can trust in your rental.
You especially don't want people with violent crimes on their records to be tenants. On the contrary, a background check that comes back clean is an indication that the tenant will respect your property.
Credit and Financial Checks
Along with a criminal background check, we'll check every applicant's credit on your behalf. A credit check tells us more about an applicant's financial history. If they've got bad credit, there's a chance they might not be able to keep up with monthly rent payments.
The biggest reason for eviction is nonpayment of rent. If you have a tenant who is consistently late on rent, it puts you in a difficult bind. Financial checks make it easy for you to avoid these types of tenants before it's too late.
Character References
Another important part of our tenant screening services involves speaking to references. Asking all applicants to provide references allows us to verify whether or not they're a good fit.
Former landlords and employers are the best references. Landlords can answer questions about what type of tenant the person is, while employers can verify that they're gainfully employed. A high character, gainfully employed applicant with good credit and no criminal background is an ideal candidate.
Preventing Mishaps
There are other ways to avoid evictions. One is to avoid rental vacancies by securing lease renewals from your best tenants. Another is to enforce the lease consistently.
When you have a clear lease, you'll always be able to point to infractions and their consequences. This is a great way to keep tenants in line with your wishes.
How PMI Scenic City Can Help You
While a tenant criminal background check, financial check, and character references can help you secure great tenants, it's a lot of work to screen tenants properly. If you're not sure how to go about it, hiring property management is the right move.
At PMI Scenic City, we offer comprehensive property management services for Chattanooga landlords. We can screen tenants, perform maintenance, and deal with evictions, so contact us today to learn more.
