Bad tenants are "bad" enough, but there's a specific type of tenant that makes it their "job" to cause problems for rental property owners.
As an Orlando real estate investor, you'll deal with a variety of renters, from good to difficult renters—and a separate category of residents known as "professional tenants." These are dangerous people to allow into your rental property. They go from rental home to rental home, deceiving property owners into thinking they are ideal residents. After they move in, they turn into terrible residents who refuse to pay the rent, often cause property damage, and are known to abandon a rental without notice.
How can investors deal with these tenants? Follow these tips from the best property management Orlando Fl offers!
What Is a Professional Tenant?
As we mentioned, professional tenants have no intention of being good residents. They take advantage of rental property owners with impressive rental applications and the appearance of a good potential tenant during the interview and screening process.
However, beneath a "professional" facade lies a renter with a history of evictions, defaults, and bad behavior. Professional tenants:
- Sign a lease without intending ever to pay the rent
- Dress well and appear like quality people during in-person or virtual interactions
- Provide impressive information on the rental application and in conversations
- Appear to be your ideal next tenant throughout the screening process and move-in day
After these tenants move in, they become different people than who you thought you approved to live in your Orlando rental. You'll likely never see a rental payment. Professional tenants find minor issues with your property and turn them into significant problems and complaints. They become unresponsive, disregard lease rules, and cause property damage.
Once they're in your property, professional tenants are difficult to remove without following the legal eviction process—and that can become a lengthy, expensive process. In other instances, these tenants may abandon the rental in the middle of the night, leaving stuff behind and unpaid rent.
What To Look For to Avoid Them
The best way to deal with professional tenants is to avoid them! However, because they "look" like excellent tenants before moving in, they can be hard to identify without a thorough screening process and experience from the best property management Orlando Fl offers.
If you've dealt with this type of tenant before, a thorough screening process can help you spot red flags to avoid them in the future. When screening applicants, look for:
- Incomplete information on the rental application
- Information that seems too good to be true
- References you can't reach (or identical stories about your potential tenant when you can talk with references)
- Bad credit and a history of defaults or bankruptcies when reviewing credit history
- Offering to pay cash for the security deposit and first month's rent in advance
- Asking to skip the background screening process
- Offering unsolicited in-depth knowledge of landlord-tenant laws
Professional tenants work hard to make Orlando property owners think they are excellent potential residents. They offer cash to distract from problems in a background check and hope to earn your trust with impressive knowledge of the laws and what it takes to be a good tenant.
It's important not to let their charm or persuasive tactics lure you into letting professional tenants move into your rentals! Keeping them out is the best way to deal with professional tenants before they have a chance to become a problem.
Professional Management is the Best Solution for Professional Tenants
If the idea of these tricky tenants creates stress for you, the best property management Orlando Fl offers can handle them for you! Whether you've realized you have a professional tenant in your property now or you're worried that one might slip through your review process in the future, these tenants are no match for professional property managers.
With our thorough screening process and experience, we recognize the red flags of tenants that never intend to be "good" residents. When we see the signs, we deny an applicant that is not in your best interest.
We also have the experience to deal with bad and professional tenants who currently live in your rentals. By enforcing the lease rules and following the legal process for eviction, we remove bad tenants while minimizing the impact on your rental income and properties.
Professional Tenants Meet Their Match With The Best Property Management Orlando FL Offers
Placing the best quality tenants in your Orlando rentals is critical to maximize income and minimize risks to your properties and long-term financial goals. If you're struggling with high turnover or bad tenants and lost revenue, it's time to bring in the best property management Orlando FL offers!
Verandah Properties has never seen a tenant we can't handle in a way that's in the best interest of your rentals and bottom line. If you're ready for better residents and fewer tenant problems, let's talk about how we can help!