What steps do potential landlords take in pre qualifying a apt. rental applicant?

Credit score, references, background checks, employment, etc.

I use three criteria and have a specific pet policy as well.

Income from a legal source that is three times the montly rent. I use gross income, which is income before taxes. This is easier for the tenant to qualify and is a long standing industry rule of thumb for whether the apartment is affordable for the tenant.

I run a credit check and look for reasonable explanations for any debts that have gone to collection, and a reasonable level of outstanding debt. A late payment or two are no big deal as people tend to pay rent before credit card bills, but a lot of late payments are a concern. I am understanding about large medical expenses, as they tend to not be reflective of the character of the tenant and their propensity to pay, but would want the tenant to let me know what their current obligation is for the debt.

Lastly I look for a good reference from the most recent landlord, asking the question: would you rent to this person again? and inquiring specifically about late payments and if they left owing money or had significant deductions to the deposit for damages etc. Some landlords are reluctant to tell you specifics, but most will answer the "would you rent to this tenant again?" question. If they say no, don't rent to this tenant either.

If a tenant has credit issues or is young and has never rented before, I require a co-signer, and run a credit report on the co-signer as well. Usually a parent or someone who would be motivated to pay on behalf of the tenant is best.

You have to apply these criteria in the same way for every applicant, regardless of race, sexual orientation etc. Do it for everyone, even if they seem fine. To fail to do that opens you up to discrimination suits, and quite frankly some people can fool you on the surface. I have gotten horrible reports on people I never would have guessed it from meeting them and talking with them.

Also, do not rent to anyone who owns a Pit Bull or a Rottwieller. Most insurance companies will not cover you for injuries from those two specific breeds. Check with your own insurer to see if there are more breeds not covered. I believe huskies were next on the incident probability charts, but were still being insured the last time I checked. Do not be swayed by testimonials about a specific dog. Many incidents that have occured have been with animals that showed absolutely no sign of aggression toward people right up until they snap. You are not making a personal judgement against those breeds, simply following instructions from your insurance company.

Some people also say that Rottwielers and Pitt Bulls tend to show up in greater numbers in drug areas. I have no data on that so I wouldn't use it for that reason to avoid a discrimination complaint. The insurance issue is an objective reason that won't get you in any trouble legally.

I would do a background and credit check. These are good ways to check out a persons past history.

Credit check, background check, and they might want references from some prior places you've lived at.

First, act like you have a TON of people applying. Second, run their credit. Verify 2 years employment (get the info and call). To get credit run properly you need their full name, address, social security, and birthday. Then, get their current land lord info, call that person, and check their payments history

It really depends on the rental. I, at a minimum, do a reference check, and employment check. I also, on some units, do a credit check. I always use a rule of 3 for references, if I can't get in touch with 3 people who know the person and have something good to say I discount them. I also cross verify employment. I need to talk to someone, and see a check stub. If it is not externally processed, I call the bank to verify. For credit checks, I don't discount someone with marginal credit but I do look for patterns and recent negative activity. Finally, I decide whether a lease is appropriate or not. In my state, I can evict a tenant without cause as long as there is not a lease in effect.

Pre-qualify? i'm not sure what you mean, but landlords can ask for:

Proof of steady income (pay stubs)
References (your employer, past landlord, etc)

This really depends on how many units the place has and if they have a management company or not?

If there is a managment company they may be a bit hard nosed (that's their job! Protect the owner). In this case they are going to want to see that you make 3 times the rent in income, they will check your credit, may do a back round check, will check various referrences etc.

On the other hand if it is just an individual person and they like you and have a good feeling about you, you may be able to move in with a mere hand shake. This could be true if it is some one you know, a friend of a friend etc.

Credit, proof of income, refs, background check.

I know for sure they check your credit to see if you've been sent to collections for prior rent and utilities. Also you usually have to make 3x the rent

The major things: They do a credit check and verify the source of employment. Some places will ask for references and check those as well.

I had to play some chess, answer some interview questions, and smoke some weed with the landlord

it was fun mostly

They will verify employment, credit check, they will want paycheck stubs and references from former Landlords. They may or may not run a background check, but when I worked in Apartment management the on site manager only ran credit checks.

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