Warning to on wayward tenants

Just in the news a while ago, a landlord is complaining about her tenant who rented her fully furnished condo. After paying her 1 month advance rent and 1 month deposit, the tenant did not pay anymore for 2 months. When she dropped by, the tenant was gone and so are some of the appliances like the airconditioner. The problem now is that the landlord have no proof of the identity of the tenant who is a decent-looking woman. That is a good eye opener for condo owners who are renting their excess units.

 

A landlord never should hand over the keys to a tenant before they do all they can to find out who the tenant really is [whether s/he'll pay the rent on time, whether the tenant is employed or not, if s/he has been evicted in the past, etc] and how to find that tenant should they leave abruptly. Better to play it safe and also ask for a guarantor.

 

If I were the landlord, I would do what you say. It is good to be prudent when it comes to dealing with strangers. But the victim admitted in the interview that the would-be tenant looked decent and was articulate so the landlord trusted the woman. Maybe it should be a standard for landlords to require a background data of prospective tenants and the landlord should check before they sign the contract of lease. With the condo units that are being sold everyday, renting out condo units bought for investment is getting popular. That means there are so many informal landlords now.

 

How can you not know who you are renting your apartment to?! Seriously... how can you rent out a place long term and have no idea who is renting it? That is beyond stupid.

 

Maybe she should have dropped by sooner to check on her condo. You would think that before you handed over the keys you would know who was going to be staying in your condo. The blame is her own because she didn't take the time to do things properly. Hopefully this was a lesson learned for the next time she rents.

 

Most condo owners are busy with their affairs presumably because most have businesses and some are with high positions in the office. But anyway, there is an agency here that provides that kind of service - looking for tenants and operating the rental. If that case of the condo with a wayward tenant was assigned to an agency then I guess the condo would be checked from time to time and that stealing of furnishings would not happen. But again, it boils down to being careful and knowing fully well the tenant. In other words, make a routine background check of the tenant before signing the lease contract.

 

I have rented condoes, houses, and apartments from out of state landlords many times. It is true, my landlords didn't know much about me at all other than my name and whether or not I paid the rent! I definitely could have gotten away with all matter of nonsense had I tried. I've always tried to be a good tenant but it is amazing how little contact some landlords have with the people occupying their property!

 

Same here, tenants would show an impression that they can afford the rent. The car is the status symbol here and we really don't know if the potential tenant really owns the car. The unsuspecting landlord would give in to the sweet talk of the scheming tenant and before an hour ends, the lease contract is signed. For decent tenants, the same thing happens so you really cannot determine unless you make a background check on the potential tenant.

 

Isn't it the law or at least guidelines, that each and every landlord get identification from tenants at the beginning of them signing their lease? That was her own fault.

 

I agreed that it was her own faultless she should have taken the proper measures to ensure this didn't happen. If she couldn't check on the property she should have had somebody who could do so. When you are renting a property you should be aware of who you are renting to.