What should you ask when you are renting out an apartment?

Questions to Ask Prospective Tenants

Here is some advice on questions to ask before renting our your property:

• Always ask if they have rented before. You do not need people who have never taken care of their own place. I say this from 31 years of renting property. Conversely, new college grads can make fine tenants.
  

• Ask why they want to rent your property, how long they have lived at their current residences, and why they are leaving their current residences.

• Who will be living in the unit? Asking who will be living in the unit can be discriminatory. Always ask how many instead.
  

• Definitely ask for references. They can give you insights about the applicant's character and performance, as well as the applicant's history in rent payment and care of property. (Of course, current landlords are sometimes not the most reliable sources of information. They may be give a good reference because they want to get rid of a bad tenant.) The tenants prior (not current) landlord is the best reference.
  

• Get a background check that looks for police reports or any criminal background. www.AMSties.com has been helpful in screening tenants. Accept tenants whose FICO score is better than 650.
  

• Ask about their employment, i.e. their employer and length of time on the job. It's not just income you want to know about. Frequent job changes may indicate an unstable income source.

First answer by Adriane. Last edit by Daviddrescher1. Contributor trust: 41 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 245 [recommend question]