OK, so it’s time to move. You’re scanning real estate listings for a rental, and starting to think about your new life. The catch is, there are other families out there going through the same process. So, how do you lock up a lease on that really great 2- bedroom you’re looking at on Zillow? This is my perspective as a landlord.
I’m going to share this by walking through a recent rental transaction I did here in Pittsburgh. We own property in a trendy neighborhood near the local teaching hospitals. We posted it for rent the same weekend that “match letters” were released (assigning new med school graduates to their residency programs). As a result, we had 26 applicants in 4 days. So, what went right for “Hank” and “Sarah”?
Clean up your social media. Do this before you even start. That picture of you on spring break in cabo? Landlords see it very differently than your fraternity brothers see it. This doesn’t mean going completely dark- if an applicant has no social presence at all, I’m suspicious. Hank and Sarah were pretty easy to research. Even though they were med school students, a quick google search turned up nice articles about them in their college paper, a website from a scholarship he’d won, etc. It presented a very nice picture of a prospective tenant.
Know your credit score. This is particularly important if you’re stretching your budget to get the place you want. Hank and Sarah were easy in this regard, but I have rented to people with less-than-perfect credit. They came prepared, and said up front “my credit score is xxx, but my father is willing to cosign if that’s a concern for you.” By being proactive, it completely eliminated the issue for me.
OK, now you’re ready to start reading ads and reaching out. What’s next?
Be courteous from start to finish. I’m a human being too. I probably have 30 things on my plate, and renting out my unit is just one of them. Hank and Sarah were polite in every contact with me, whether by phone or in email.
Read the advertisement. Don’t contact a landlord to ask how many bedrooms it has, or where it’s located, or any of the other things landlords *always* put into the ad. If something is unclear in the ad, the landlord will appreciate you clarifying it for them, but they’re certain to be happier to know that you tried to figure it out for yourself first. Remember, the landlord is wondering if you’re going to call them to ask how to use the microwave, or if you’ll read the labels right there in front of you.
Show that you can pay the rent. In a competitive market, landlords want to know the rent is going to get paid on time. Share proof of income as early in the process as you can. Hank and Sarah didn’t have W2’s yet, so they sent me their offer letters from the hospital so that I would knew they could afford the place. If you’re applying with a roommate, share that early too- it’ll help the landlord know that there’s enough total income in the household to cover the full rent.
Be prompt, always. Tenants not only have to have enough money to pay the rent, but they have to actually *pay it*. When you show up on time, or return my call when you say you will, you’re showing me that you are on top of things, and that paying the rent isn’t going to just “slip your mind”. It also tends to show that someone is organized, which usually indicates less wear and tear on the property.
Apply. Realize that you’re competing with other candidates. If you saw the place on Saturday, but don’t get around to filling out the application until Monday night, don’t be shocked if the place got rented on Sunday. Sarah and Hank actually filed out the application based on the photos, even before they’d walked through the unit. (I realize you can’t do that for every property, esp. if there’s a fee involved.). In their case, though, they asked at the end of their tour if I’d be willing to sign right then and there. They were qualified, and I’d reviewed their file already, so I could make a decision right there if I was so inclined.
Connect with the landlord. Landlords are people too. You should assume that there will be multiple applicants. If you share a bit about yourself, and connect with the landlord, it helps you stand out in the applicant pool.
Ask about their timeline. Some landlords sign the very first person who checks their requirements. Others may batch up the applications and then make a decision. If you ask, then you also know when to follow up.
Don’t be a jerk. It’s OK to ask about things but be reasonable. For example, if the landlord is already going to repaint, it’s OK to ask “would it be possible to paint it light blue?” But also be reasonable. I once had a prospective tenant ask if we would be willing to install carpeting over our hardwood stairs so her dog could get up and down easier.
Don’t be a jerk, again. So, you’ve done everything here, filled in the application, and you still didn’t get the place. Or maybe the landlord called just before your tour and informed you that they’ve leased the unit. Check your temper. When I rented to Hank and Sarah, I got emails back saying I’d lied to them, or I wasn’t being fair because “Bob” didn’t get to tour the unit before I gave it to Hank and Sarah. Every once in a while, a tenant falls through. In those cases, I go back to the applicants and start there to try to fill it. If you flamed me, I’m never going to call you back. Plus, being nice costs you nothing, and we could all use a bit more “nice” in our lives.
As I said at the top, this is my own personal guidance, and it doesn’t apply to every landlord or every tenant. But I hope that, by sharing it, you have just a little more luck landing that really sweet place you have your eye on.
Entropy Properties LLC 