Renting to an Iffy Tenant


Hello all,

As a first-time landlord, I sorely need the advice of some old hands.

I have two prospective tenants who have poor credit (each below 600), lots of debt and what seems to be a tangled credit history. However, I’m considering them because they offered to pay the year’s rent in advance.

How badly could this possibly go wrong, if I have all the rent in hand? I’m admittedly pretty naive about all this, so what would you do?

Thanks in advance!

Categories: Tenants
By WestEndGirl | 01/25/2010 4:07 PM | Comment

Advice for a 1st-time LL


Hi all,

I’m renting out my apartment as a little change in lifestyle (a baby) means it isn’t working for me anymore, and I don’t want to sell.

I’ve heard that Feb-April is typically a rough time for finding tenants, and would love to hear whether this is an accepted rule of thumb.

To add to this, my apartment is in Downtown Brooklyn, an area that is going through a lot of overstock right now, so just wondering if I should plan for a few empty months.

Any other advice for this first-time landlord would be very much appreciated!

Categories: Renters
By WestEndGirl | 01/20/2010 5:21 PM | Comment

Marketing Downtown Rental


I am renting what I believe to be a really nice apartment in Downtown Brooklyn, amidst an enormous glut on the market (Avalon, Brooklyner, Bklyn Gold). I’m able to provide good value for money compared to the other places, and an equally nice apartment. However, I’m struggling with how to market my unit.

Short of camping outside the leasing offices and intercepting prospective tenants, what can I do in addition to just putting it out there on Craigslist?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Categories: Renters
By WestEndGirl | 01/14/2010 1:37 PM | Comment