Screening Can Detect Unacceptable Tenants

QUESTION: I reluctantly rented one of three units on the back of my Los Angeles house to two young women who were moving out of their parents’ homes for the first time in their lives. It was a nightmare.

They ruined much of the plumbing and electric as well as the refrigerator. They clogged drains with their hair, said the toilet was leaking, when it wasn’t, which cost me a hefty plumber’s minimum fee, and broke a large picture window, among other things.

Suffice it to say that they cost me an arm and a leg in maintenance and repair money, but there’s more.

They left the apartment on the day the rent was due. They gave no notice and didn’t return the keys until eight days after they moved out. To add insult to injury, they sued us after moving out. They claimed that they gave my minor son a 30-day notice of their intent to move the month previous to their move. They further claimed that we charged them a $200 non-refundable maintenance fee.

Their claims were a pack of lies but, incredibly, the judge ruled for them. I believe that he felt empathy for them because they told a good sob story.

My question to you is, how can I protect myself in the future?

ANSWER: The answer to your question is to screen all prospective tenants thoroughly. I cannot overemphasize the importance of thorough tenant screening.

Such screening includes several reports, sold for nominal fees, and available through organizations like the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, as well as a few background checks that you can do on your own. The three types of checks you can buy from AAGLA include:

1--A credit report, which tells about the prospect’s revolving and installment accounts, if any. Such accounts include charge cards, automobiles and the like. The report also tells you about bankruptcies and collections.

2--A telecredit report, which tells you if the prospect writes bad checks.

3--An unlawful detainer report, which tells you if the individual has been evicted and, if so, the circumstances surrounding the eviction.

On your own, you can check the renter’s bank accounts, for duration and average balance. You can also check his references and his current or former landlords.

Don’t rely on the references and landlords too heavily, though. It’s easy to get a couple of friends to give you rave reviews and if the tenant is causing his present landlord agony, he may tell you anything to get rid of him. That’s why it is important to check with the applicant’s former landlord, if he has one.

If it’s not too inconvenient for you, you can also visit the prospective renter’s current dwelling. You can also check the applicant’s employment on your own. Always ask for the personnel department at his job. Never ask for the person whose name the applicant has written onto his application.

Although many employers won’t give you the precise salaries of their employees, many will give you their salary ranges. All should tell you how long the worker has been employed.

Alone, none of these background checks gives you enough information to make a decision to rent or not. Together, they should present a pretty good indication of what kind of person your prospective renter is.

Manager Has His Own Prorating Practice

Q: I live in Calabasas and I have a question for Apartment Life. The rental agreement that I signed specifies that the rent I gave to the manager up front is for the “first month’s rent.”

I moved into the unit on the 12th day of a 31-day month. I figured that the rent I paid was good until the 11th of the next month, which was a 30-day month. The manager contends that I owe him 20 days’ rent as opposed to the 19 which I believe I owe.

The manager says it is his standard practice to handle this situation in this way. Can he do that? The contract says “first month’s rent.” It doesn’t say “first full month’s rent.” What’s your opinion?

A: This manager’s “standard practice” is not in tune with the rule of thumb for prorating rents, which is to treat all rent months, whether they are 28, 29, 30 or 31 days, as if they contain 30 days.

Since yours is a new tenancy, however, you may not want to alienate the manager right off the bat over the issue of one day’s rent.

You can sue the owner/manager for the day’s rent, as well as for any disputed security deposit money, when you move out of the apartment. I think that’s the best way to proceed in your situation.

Landlords Want to Know the Answers

Q: My husband and I own a single-family residence in Santa Barbara that we have been leasing for a number of years. As relatively inexperienced landlords, we are interested in a good resource book dealing with landlord/tenant relationships. Is there something you can recommend?

A: One of the best books on the topic is “Landlording” by Leigh Robinson, which sells in the $15-$20 range at many bookstores.