Hi guys,

Looking for tenants for two apartments has been an eye-opening experience and I now realize that we do not know what to look for either good or bad.

I suppose we should know what to avoid, more than anything. How do we steer clear of deadbeats that are familiar with working the system. Not concerned with which reports to run (credit, etc) rather what red flags.

Also, what would you guys advise to look FOR in tenants?

Thanks in advance.


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. I just rented out 2 apts in my owner-occupied building in Park Slope. I didn’t use a broker, I only listed the apts in the NY Times, craigslist, and RDNY. We got plenty of nibbles very quickly and quite a few pretty good quality applicants. Both were leased out in only two weeks to tenants I feel pretty good about. Now I just have to hope it doesn’t turn out be a disaster.

    I think we got a fair amount of interest quickly because I intentionally priced it a bit below what seemed to be the comps. The comps on the NY Times (which were all broker listings) were especially high. Getting a lot of good applicants in quickly gave us greater choice in picking a person to share the building with (as opposed to just collecting a check from an investment property). I got a lot of leads from the NY Times, so I think the $100 for 2 weeks is worth it (if you’re pricing the unit to possibly move in 2 weeks).

    I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of applicant from craigslist. I was quite concerned after reading the posts in this Forum.

    I would recommend screening for income (and whatever else) by email when you get a nibble. If people want to apply, ask some more questions before taking an application. No need to waster your time or their credit check fee.

    Having done it myself, there is no way I would pay 1 months rent to a broker to perform this service. If I owned 10+ units, it may be a different story, but 1-2 units is very manageable on your own. I also suspect that brokers suggest inflated rent bc it doesn’t cost them anything to ask too much. But months of delay can cost the landlord a lot.

  2. I just rented out 2 apts in my owner-occupied building in Park Slope. I didn’t use a broker, I only listed the apts in the NY Times, craigslist, and RDNY. We got plenty of nibbles very quickly and quite a few pretty good quality applicants. Both were leased out in only two weeks to tenants I feel pretty good about. Now I just have to hope it doesn’t turn out be a disaster.

    I think we got a fair amount of interest quickly because I intentionally priced it a bit below what seemed to be the comps. The comps on the NY Times (which were all broker listings) were especially high. Getting a lot of good applicants in quickly gave us greater choice in picking a person to share the building with (as opposed to just collecting a check from an investment property). I got a lot of leads from the NY Times, so I think the $100 for 2 weeks is worth it (if you’re pricing the unit to possibly move in 2 weeks).

    I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of applicant from craigslist. I was quite concerned after reading the posts in this Forum.

    I would recommend screening for income (and whatever else) by email when you get a nibble. If people want to apply, ask some more questions before taking an application. No need to waster your time or their credit check fee.

    Having done it myself, there is no way I would pay 1 months rent to a broker to perform this service. If I owned 10+ units, it may be a different story, but 1-2 units is very manageable on your own. I also suspect that brokers suggest inflated rent bc it doesn’t cost them anything to ask too much. But months of delay can cost the landlord a lot.

1 2 3 13