You've found the perfect tenant. They're respectful and make a decent salary, so you know they'll be able to pay their rent on time every month.
Everything goes smoothly with the new tenant until it comes time for your first inspection. There's garbage scattered on the floor!
This sort of thing is bound to happen if you don't have a comprehensive tenant screening process. You can take care of the job yourself or outsource to a property management company. Check out this quick guide to learn which option is best for your Boca Raton, FL, property.
Comprehensive Screening
Tenant screening services have the resources necessary to perform a comprehensive background check. They go beyond checking to see if a potential tenant can pay the rent.
Property management companies also evaluate their criminal background, eviction history, rental history, and employment history. They'll ask applicants to provide a list of references they can call.
While you may have the time and resources available to perform some of these crucial screening tasks, it will be expensive and difficult for you to cover all your bases.
Save Time and Money
If you don't have a lot of experience with running a tenant background check, it could take weeks to get it done. As a landlord, you have a lot of things on your plate. You don't have much time to tackle your tenant screening checklist.
Tenant screening services have all the tools and experience to process applications and call references in a matter of hours.
Screening a tenant isn't only time-consuming. It can also be expensive. While outsourcing tenant screening costs money, you'll spend more by performing bulk background checks.
Screening companies know where to get discounts on bulk background checks to protect your investment for a fraction of the price.
Consistency
As stated above, it's difficult to find the time to do screenings on your own. When you do get the time, there's a chance that you'll miss something or make mistakes in order to rush through the process.
Screening companies process every application the same way each time. This allows them to be more consistent than the average landlord.
Liability Risk
You are responsible for the safety of your rental property and everyone who lives in it. If you fail to run a criminal background check on a tenant, and they hurt someone, you'll be held liable.
On the other hand, if the screening company you hired is the one that makes the mistake, they'll be responsible for the damages instead of you. However, it's rare for screening services to make such errors.
Outsource Your Tenant Screening Process
As a landlord, you have a lot on your plate. It's not easy to find time for tenant screening. However, if you neglect to do a full comprehensive screening, it could cost you in the long run.
You could end up letting in someone who's going to destroy your property or hurt another person.
Beach Properties has been screening tenants for landlords in Boca Raton, FL, for over 20 years. Contact us to learn more about our services.
