12 May 8 Questions to ask your prospective tenant

8 Questions to ask your prospective tenant

There are many questions and information a landlord will need to get in order to pick a great tenant for their space. It is very rare that a good tenant becomes a bad tenant during a lease. Most bad tenants start that way right from the beginning so it is important to ask the right questions at the beginning.

Have you given notice to your current landlord

A tenant who is looking to move in quickly but hasn’t given their landlord notice might be hiding a potential issue with the current landlord. In most areas, (in Ontario) a Tenant will have to give the Landlord 60 days notice when they are leaving a month to month tenancy

Why are you moving?

This will tell you a lot about their motivation. It should be a clear answer. Look for any bad comments they make towards their current landlord which might be an indication of a bad relationship. Lawsuits etc. Most of the time the move is for better or larger space or a different location for a new job

When are you planning on moving?

This ties into asking if they have given notice to their current landlord. Tenants who claim they have lost their space due to fire, water etc and are desperate to move in that day are usually huge red flags. Check out the current address if the building in deed has issues but do not feel pressured to be nice and bend the rules.

How many adults will be living in the space?

Ideally no more than 2 adults per bedroom however local building and fire codes will dictate how many can occupy the space. All adults will be required to be on the lease and have credit and background checks completed.

Can you provide references?

Look for gaps in references and don’t just call the current landlord (they might be loving the idea of their bad tenant leaving and not give you the information you really need). Ask the previous landlord who no longer is involved with this tenant about their experience. Surprisingly, landlords very rarely check references. In all my years of being a Landlord I have only had one Landlord ask me for a reference check.

Will you agree to a background and credit check?

On your tenant application make sure you are clear that you will be doing a background and credit check. Tenants who will not agree to this should be back of the list of who you will rent to.

Have you ever been evicted?

Simple question. Sometimes this might be the first question you ask to see their facial reactions. Any hesitation or fumbling could mean they are scrambling to come up with an answer for an unexpected question

Can I verify your income?

It makes sense that just like buying a home renting a space should be affordable to the tenant based on their income. Income verification must be asked and checked . Their source of income as long as it is legal is not an issue. Make sure you get credible verification.