Background checks key to finding good tenants
COURTESY PHOTO
Camille Naluai-Rios
Question: What is the general process a landlord has to take when conducting a background check of a potential tenant?
Answer: If the applicant seems like a fit there, first call their references — even the personal references.
PROFILE
Camille Naluai-Rios
>> Title: Real estate agent
>> Company: Faith Naluai Realty
>> Age: 37
>> Education: B.A. in journalism from University of Hawaii at Manoa
>> Email: Camillenaluai realtor@gmail.com
>> Website: hothomesin hawaii.com
It’s important to have a standardized application form authorizing the landlord to run a background check, and it’s very important to contact any previous landlords, employers and references. The names and numbers of these references should be provided on your rental application. You might want to ask the previous landlord if they paid their rent on time, do they bounce checks, do they have a dog (important to know if your home is a no-pet home) and did they get along with the neighbors.
You should definitely try to meet these people in person. If you are not on island, you do need someone here on island representing you.
Get your property ready to be a rental. Have any house rules available for the next occupant. Have the home professionally cleaned so the tenant knows when they move out this is what we expect.
Once the tenant moves in, be sure to have the tenant put any utilities in their name. Be sure your insurance is adequate. Have them sign a property condition form. Take pictures of your appliances and of the home in general. If you have a yard, I recommend having a professional yard man or landscaper come by, especially if you live in an area with strict yard care rules.
Q: What do you need from the tenant?
A: Tenants should bring a valid ID and cash for any application fee.
Q: What is a typical application fee an owner should charge?
A: Our application fee pays for the background check. They normally run about $25 but can be more if more information is requested.
Q: What are the best resources to use when a homeowner background-checks a renter?
A: The state has public-access websites that will show if a tenant has been through formal eviction proceedings. (As a licensed real estate firm, we have access to websites that the public might not be able to use.)
There is Hoohiki — hoohiki1.courts.state.hi.us/jud/Hoohiki/main.htm — which can show if the applicant has ever been through formal eviction proceedings.
Q: Are these resources free?
A: Depending on the amount of research you want to do on an applicant, it can cost $25 and up.
Q: What are other helpful ways to background-check someone online?
A: A Google search is great. You should also check social media.
Q: Is social media useful?
A: I don’t do a lot of social media or Google searches, but they can be useful if a person doesn’t have credit history. This may be someone who just moved out of their parents’ home or are from another country.
Q: Any additional advice for landlords looking for the right tenant?
A: Don’t be in a hurry, but do your checks right away. The best applicants will get picked up by someone quickly. You want a tenant who takes care of the property and will let you know when something needs fixing. Summer season is moving season. There will be a lot of people looking for rentals and getting their homes ready for rent. So price right to get the best applicant.
15 responses to “Background checks key to finding good tenants”
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So you get a tenant that looks good then all of sudden they bring a dog and it destroys the house. Who pays for the repairs, how do you get money out of them? They loose their job and live there rent free for up to 6 months before getting evicted what do you do? All the back grown checks don’t guarantee a good tenant, been there. When things are good you want 100 rentals, when things are bad you don’t want any of them. Tough way to make extra money.
Your first question – I’d assume they had a job when they rented or you wouldn’t have rented to them. You get your money by filing suit against them, getting a judgment, and then garnish their wages.
Also, I don’t know why you think it takes 6 months to get someone out of a rental if they don’t pay. Property managers have alliances with eviction attorneys. The problem may appear when people think they are saving money by NOT using a property manager. Fumbling around trying to learn procedures and having to/file things over and over is what can lengthen an eviction process. The expertise of property managers can cut months off of evicting and re-renting. Just one month’s savings pays for having a property manager in a year’s time. AND you’re not the one having to deal with phone calls and “issues” from the tenants.
Yes, they did have a job, they passed the back grown check with flying colors. Yes, I did use a property manager.
I can tell you have never owned a rental, you can’t garnish their wages all you can do is file a judgement. If they don’t pay rent you can’t kick them out, you have to go to court and go through the process and that can take 6 months.
The best way to get rid of them is to give them 100 bucks to just go away. Then you get the truck and haul off all the garbage they have left behind and start the repairs. You know I speak from experience.
you garnish wages after you obtain the judgment. (of course, you can only garnish if they’re employed, and you know where they work.)
for the pet damage, there is a law that was passed just in the last couple years that allows you to collect a separate “pet deposit” (in addition to the normal security deposit) that you require from the tenant.
Strange advice “A Google search is great.” “I don’t do a lot of … Google searches,” Well, which is it?
I think she means that if you don’t have access to the data she has access to – google is great.
I rented my nice rental to a well known city council man and after 4 years it needed almost $10,000 repairs. He had a good job, good credit, well known in the community, what more do you want?
The point is you “never” know who you’re going to get.
Never rent to sec 8, never rent to a single woman and never rent to a city council man. 🙂
If you do the repairs yourself you’re labor can’t be written off on your fed taxes.
Try watch the latest Jon Oliver bit on The Daily Show about background checks and credit history.
Very obvious. It may not be politically correct but avoid renting to Polynesians/micronesians. Avoid, not demand.
Camille Naluai-Rios is book smart. Totally different than street smart. AKA, Looks good on paper, doesn’t work in real life.
I’ve seen a Craigslist ad posted from this authors company and it was so poorly written and photographed. What a joke! Learn to write an ad and buy an SLR camera before u call yourself a real estate agent!! I hope her company has gotten better since!
“real estate agent”; are just a grade above your average Street Sluts… For evidence of same–just take one of Eddie Flores’s “Real Estate Continuing Education Classes”! Amazing! (..not “the brightest bulbs in the package”..)
real estate agents are SCUM!!!
There is a very fine line that separates a five year old child and a real estate agent.
A five year old child will work to sell/rent your house for a bag of candy.
An adult (Tom Hanks movie – Big) with the brain of a five year old child (a.k.a. Real Estate Agent) will try to scam you out of 6% of your homes value to buy themselves a bag of rock crack cocaine candy and only do the same job an actual 5 year old could do in selling your home.
In responce to W15, a $250 pet deposit won’t cover the expense of carpeting the whole house. Have you ever tried to garnish wages? Try it some time. The people who wright the landlord tenant laws have never been a landlord.