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There are several key characteristics that potential problem tenants share that indicate they will be bad news, to you as the landlord and the tenants around them. Stick with your gut feelings on these warning signals, or you could be the next person in a string of property managers dealing with a tenant nobody else wants to deal with. The top ten signs of a potentially bad renter are:

1. It is the last week of the month when your phone rings, and the voice on the phone only wants to know you if you have an apartment, any apartment, available on the first.

2. When you answer the phone, the voice on the other end is nearly inaudible over the sound of a party in the background at 2 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon.

3. The only question the potential tenant has is "When can we move in?" and never asks "How much is it?"

4. They arrive with a group of friends and relatives for your appointment, and none of them is going to be their roommate, and they are loud and unruly.

5. They balk at your standard screening procedures.

6. Their lease application shows a pattern of changing jobs every 3-6 months, none of which typically pays well enough to afford the apartment; or,

7. the lease application shows they have moved constantly every few months, with multiple addresses over the last two years.

8. They never ask what you are going to do to get the apartment ready for them to move in, indicating that they will accept anything, regardless of condition.

9. They keep referring to "we" and "us" when talking about moving in, but they dodge your questions and are evasive about who else will be occupying the apartment or house.

10. The potential tenant shows up drunk or otherwise intoxicated to your appointment, and drove themselves there, with a car filled with garbage bags and loose clothing jammed to the ceiling.

Use your head, and avoid being the next landlord dealing with a tenant nobody else wants. Be aware of how they react to questions, and pay attention to their actions. These 10 warning signs will help keep a property manager out of trouble, and help you stay away from bad renters!

Learn more about this author, W Thomas Payne.
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