February 2021 - Lofty Property

What does a tenant screening consist of?

Tenant screening is an intricate step-by-step process. It starts by attracting and shortlisting quality applicants before handpicking individual candidates who best match the selection criteria. The process involves detailed credit report evaluations, criminal background checks, viewing past rental histories and more.

How do you pass a tenant screening process?

The safest way to pass a tenant screening is to be good on paper, which is the first step to getting shortlisted. To be good on paper, a tenant needs to have an excellent credit score, impeccable past rentals history and eviction record, spotless criminal record, etc.

The next step in the process is typically an in-person interview, during which the applicant will get a chance to make a lasting first impression on the landlord or property manager. This is where another important tenant screening factor comes into play: whether the applicant is cooperative and easy to communicate with.

Experienced property managers and owners know how to read between the lines, so they are likely to scrutinize every aspect of the applicant’s words and behavior.

What puts a tenant at risk of eviction?

In the state of California, a tenant can be evicted in a diverse range of scenarios, such as if the tenant:

fails to pay the rent when rent is due

violates the lease or rental agreement and refuses to fix the problem, such as keeping a pet when pets are not allowed

commits waste, which is defined as inflicting material damage to the property resulting in lower property value

Interferes with other tenants substantially, such as disturbing other tenants and neighbors while ignoring the manager’s or landlord’s requests to stop

uses the property for unlawful activities

In many cities, a tenant will also be evicted if they stay at the property although their lease is up

or the landlord has already presented them with a proper notice, thereby canceling the rental agreement.

While it is customary for a landlord to terminate tenancy simply by issuing a 30 or 60 days’ advance written notice, in the scenarios listed above, a tenant may receive a 3-day notice.

Unfortunately, however careful you are, there is a risk that a tenant will break the rules and that eviction will be your only option. This is why careful tenant screening is absolutely necessary in the real estate rental world. Professional property managers typically rely on a streamlined, automated process to perform tenant screening and protect the owners’ interests.

Contact one of the leading property management companies in Clairemont Mesa

As a reputable property management company serving Clairemont Mesa and other areas across San Diego, we have a responsibility to you. In addition to full-service property management, you can count on us to provide an easily accessible, responsive customer service.

Our proven system delivers results, and it is to this system that we owe our high success rate and our large base of clients. We will do everything in our power to save you time and boost your revenue by connecting you with reasonable, cooperative tenants who will be in it for the long haul and handling tenant relations on your behalf.

Are you ready to find out what this means for you and why investing in property management services is a worthwhile decision? Contact us today!

As a landlord, you have what seems like a neverending list of responsibilities, but it is having to go through the complex eviction process that may be every landlord’s worst nightmare. In an ideal world, evictions would be non-existent.

However, this is the real world, and in the real world, tenants can be late on rent, property damage is a legitimate concern and evictions do happen, especially if tenant screening was not done to professional standards. That is why the leading Clairemont Mesa property management companies put focus on the tenant screening process, at the end of which they are able to shortlist responsible tenants with an impeccable record.

But if an eviction does happen, what can you do as a landlord and what exactly is the role of your property manager?

Do property managers handle evictions?

The role of a property manager is to optimize the process and secure the optimal outcome for the landlord. They do so by:

Providing a rental analysis
Finding quality tenants
Marketing the property
Performing thorough tenant screening
Collecting and tracking rent payment
Providing 24/7 emergency service
Coordinating tenant move-ins and move-outs

In other words, although handling evictions is among the responsibilities of a property manager, one of their key objectives is to keep the risk of an eviction at a minimum.

Namely, evictions come with serious repercussions for both parties involved. Despite being the damaged party, the property owner also needs to bear the costs of court proceedings and cover the legal fees associated with the eviction, such as filing fees, serving fees and attorney costs.

Can a property manager evict?

Property managers do everything in their power to maintain control over the situation and avoid evictions. However, if an eviction does become inevitable, a property manager can complete the entire process on the landlord’s behalf. They normally do so by working with a specialized legal service.

In California, an eviction is possible if a tenant:

Fails to pay the rent on time
Breaks the lease or rental agreement and fails to cooperate and resolve the problem
Causes damage to the property and lowers its value
Causes disturbance to other tenants and neighbors and ignores warnings
Uses the property for illegal purposes
Prolongs their stay at the property even after the lease is up
Prolongs their stay at the property even after the landlord has canceled the agreement by issuing proper and timely notice.

If the tenant does not vacate the rental property even after being issued the proper notice, an eviction can begin and the landlord can file an unlawful detainer lawsuit.

The problematic aspect of searching for tenants is that many tenants look good on paper, which may trick the landlord into thinking they’ve found the right match. This is exactly why having an experienced, competent property manager oversee the situation is a sensible step every landlord should take.

Does an eviction go away after 7 years?

If a tenant is evicted, the eviction could show up on their public record and stay there for a minimum period of 7 years, after which it goes away. Although they can attempt to improve their chances of appealing to and being accepted by other landlords, the fact is that any reputable landlord will take a close look at the person’s rental history.

The bottom line is that evictions come with serious consequences which may take 7 years to disappear, among which is a detrimental effect on the individual’s ability to rent and their credit score.

Put your trust in one of the leading Clairemont Mesa property management companies

Matching you with responsible tenants for your rental in Clairemont Mesa and other communities has been our mission since day one and we are proud to say that here at Lofty Property Management, we have had an extremely low rate of evictions so far.

If there is no way around an eviction, we will facilitate all its aspects to make the whole situation as painless as possible and start looking for your next tenant as quickly as possible.

We will also match you with a competent, experienced attorney for a minimal additional charge, making it possible for you to recover your funds and restore your peace of mind. Everything we do, we do in accordance with your best interests. Contact us now!

Month: February 2021

Guide to Tenant Screening