Landlord and tenant relationships are very tricky regarding trust and respect. Both sides can cause issues, but in this brief guide, we will discuss what landlords expect from their tenants. Other vital factors exist besides respecting the property, paying the rent on time, and not causing trouble.
Tenant screening can involve rental history, credit score checks, income verification, and employment verification.
Criminal background checks are also included. However, even if all of these are ticked, it’s not a guarantee that the tenant is a good prospect.
Expect scrutiny when applying for a rental but keep positive that it will work out if you are the right person.
Note that every good tenant not only keeps the property in good condition but leaves it like this. This is where the End of Tenancy Cleaning London team comes in to clean and prepare the rental for the next tenants.
Rental History
Rental history reports can give an insight into how you were managing your previous rentals, if there was any trouble, and so much more.
A separate screening can be done to view an eviction report for the last seven years with periods of how long you’ve been a renter.
You might even need to get a reference letter from your previous landlords to assure your future ones if it’s necessary.
For example, if you leave your previous rental in good condition, this can be included in your references. This is why you need to call End of Tenancy Cleaning London to clean and put the rental in order with high-quality and eco-friendly cleaning products. The End of Tenancy Cleaning London team’s primary goal is to leave each rental spotless without producing waste and harming nature.
Credit Scores
Checking your credit is extremely important, and landlords often ask for it. This check might include past-due accounts, collection, late bill payments, defaults, credit card balances, monthly payments, loans, debt amounts, and more.
Note that your credit score can differ from property to property, depending on the landlord, location, and neighborhood.
For example, if you live in a luxury location, your high score might need to be higher than in a more modest area.
Keep in mind to check your credit report before submitting a rental application. If you see that your credit score is insufficient, you can try to improve it.
If the case is that your credit report is not so perfect, you can try to find a landlord that doesn’t check your credit score. You can also have a good credit cosigner or offer money as an advance rent or security deposit.
Criminal Background Screening
Some landlords run criminal background screening, and by doing that, a lot of information can come out, like active warrants, sex offender listings, active criminal cases, past convictions, or felonies.
All this information can affect whether the landlord wants to take a risk with you or if you’re good to go. Suppose the decision not to accept your application is based on the criminal record check. In that case, the landlord must state it as a reason.
Your right is to see what agency runs the criminal check; if there is misleading information, you can dispute it.
When in doubt, you can always check the Fair Housing Act guidelines and your rights as a tenant.
Income Screening
Your income screening also helps to determine how reliable a tenant is. There is no standard of what income a tenant should have, but the rule of thumb is that high revenues always beat lower ones.
You can find some standard budgeting guidelines that help you determine how much rent is good enough for your income. Just start by calculating 30% of your income before the taxes.
Now, you can match the final sum with the rental cost in your area and see if you can afford a property.
If it’s not, adjust the budget and look for a small place or find a roommate to help you rent-wise.
You must provide bank statements, pay stubs, or tax forms to prove your income.
Courtesy and Professionalism Goes A Long Way
Even if your background screening is perfect and all your references point toward you being the ideal tenant, your demeanour is also essential.
When meeting your landlord for the first time, interactions and attitudes matter greatly. From the first time you get your keys to the minute you give them back, you must be friendly and professional.
Smiling, keeping eye contact, and practicing a firm handshake won’t hurt. You can even send a short email with details about yourself and your impression of the place.
Questions that Landlords Might Ask
Landlords might ask you a couple of questions, and down below, we have selected some of the most common ones. They are just questions regarding basic information and to get a feel of you as a person.
- Why are you moving?
- How long have you been renting your current home?
- When do you want to proceed?
- Do you have pets?
- What is your relationship with your current landlord?
- Is there a broken rental agreement in your past?
- Can you provide references from your former employer or landlord?
- What is the most important area on your property, according to you?
- Have you viewed lots of properties in this area?
- What is your current job, and do you like it?
You can choose how much information to give on those questions, but it’s good to open up and share it with your landlord. If both sides are honest, then this partnership can truly flourish.
Why Choose Premium Clean?
Premium Clean can help you with professional cleaning at the best prices in London.
The company offers cleaning up after moving out and carpet cleaning that includes shampooing and vacuuming for a deep clean.
Premium Clean also offers spring cleaning by our professional cleaners team. We know this job’s tediousness, so you can leave it to the team to make the property brand new.
Last but not least, the Premium Clean team offers cleaning after renovations. Builders can leave quite a mess, so we remove all plaster, dust, paint, and dirt from your home.
We also offer office and commercial cleaning, Airbnb cleaning, and domestic cleaning if you are a busy person with a packed schedule.
More than ever, hygiene and proper disinfection are needed, so what better way to achieve that than from a team of experts?
