I’ve got a great little spotlight audio interview and a short You Tube video I found that’s hilarious (if you’re a landlord) below. But first, consider this…
They say you never forget “your first time”.
It must be true. I know I won’t forget mine anytime soon.
The first time I was notably stiffed by a tenant, that is.
(What did you think I was talking about anyway 😉 )
His name was Bryant Finnie…
…and as far as I’m concerned, he FLAT OUT STOLE sixteen hundred bucks from me. In fact, here are the actual numbers…
That’s exactly how it looked when I sent it to the collection agency (who never collected a dime by the way).
I’ll spare you the longer version of my sob story, but suffice it to say that he called me asking for “a little more time”, assuring me he’d have no problem coming up with the money.
I have a soft heart, I admit it. And I was still fairly green as a landlord at the time. So I granted him the grace he asked for, and moreover I really, truly BELIEVED he’d make good on his word.
Classic, right?
So I found myself standing in the living room of Moonfall Way a mere 30 days later, with only a few piles of rubbish to greet me.
Bryant had, of course, skipped out at some point, with no word of where he was going or when I’d ever hear from him about paying what he owed. And as you might guess, I never did.
My first, but definitely not my last…
Any landlord with even a little experience knows well that these stories are unfortunately par for the course, especially for newer landlords.
So this certainly wasn’t the last time something like this has happened to me as a landlord. In fact, I’ve had much bigger losses that hurt a lot worse since then.
But you never forget your first and the “special” place it holds in your heart.
Friends don’t let friends rent to deadbeats
How many times have you wished that you could report a bad tenant to warn other landlords?
Frankly I hate knowing that after Bryant Amy Finnie stiffed me in July 2003, they probably took the same mess with them to another rental property, and became the same pain in th neck for someone else that they were to me. In fact, they’ve probably done it a number of times by now.
And for the “mom and pop” landlord (more often the case than not) it only takes one bad tenant to devastate you financially, or even put you out of business entirely.
So here’s one way to go about it. Try getting the word out on You Tube. That’s what this guy did 
Now as much as I LOVE watching that video, I think I’ve just discovered a better way to help save the next guy…
Enter DoNotRentTo.com…
It’s an online tenant screening service that compiles information about problem tenants so landlords can make better decisions about who they rent to.
Said another way, it’s a national tenant reporting company — you can search their database by name to gauge whether others have experienced problems with a particular tenant applicant.
The missing link in tenant screening?
Any landlord worth his salt already does a standard credit and criminal background check on all tenants (you do…don’t you?)
But credit reports aren’t fail-safe. Sometimes people don’t have a credit history. In my opinion, you don’t really have the whole picture until you speak to their previous landlord.
But what if a prospective tenant lies and provides a relatives number when asked for references?
Yes, it happens. A lot.
That’s where I see a resource like DoNotRentTo.com coming in. A year’s subscription is only $29.99. That’s the investment for the whole year, not per month. (How much do you spend running ONE credit report?)
And apparently you don’t need to subscribe to enter a listing about a tenant – only to search for a name.
As a member, landlords have unlimited tenant postings and unlimited tenant searches. When posting tenant information, landlords are allowed to enter any comments they feel will best describe their experience with a certain renter. Members can also contact other members via e-mail to help verify certain tenant information when needed.
I was able to catch up with the managing partner of DoNotRentTo.com Joseph Collins and have a short chat with him about the service, including…
- How it came about
- Specifically how it benefits landlords
- What does this service provide that you can’t already get on a credit report?
- What is someone posts incorrect information about a past tenant?
- What’s next in it’s development (a property management tool, discounted background checks, etc), and
- How he answers the objections of a few who are concerned about it’s unregulated nature.
If you think this service might be of good use for you, then here’s my short interview with Joe to help cast a little more light on it for you…
Need more info about DoNotRentTo.com? Click here…
Please share your thoughts about this in the blog comments below…
Digging little deeper than the surface I found that this company does not do credit checks and that they charge more than just the $29.99.
I’m not saying to stay away from them, I’m only saying that the full shabang isn’t told.
@UncleMo – True, they’re not a credit check service. It’s primarily a deadbeat tenant database, where landlords contribute info on good/bad tenants, and also screen their applicants against the list when considering them. But definitely not meant to replace a good old credit check.
I believe they recently expanded into offering an optional criminal background check as well for $5 add’l. Is that what you’re referencing?
As far as I can tell from my conversation with them and the site itself, the deadbeat database appears to be only $29.99 a year though.
Maybe my ADD’d mind was under the impression from the get go that the background check was going to be included.
Great idea, but won’t they just sue you for saying bad things about them? Some are very savvy on how to work the legal system.
@Cogito Vici – Of course, anyone can sue anyone for any old thing. But in a legal sense, this seems no different to me than the buyer/seller feedback system on eBay. Tenants have the same right to subscribe and post as landlords do. That’s my thought anyway. I leally like the system.
They probably don’t have enough money to sue you. :0)
One way we have prevented tenants from being total jerks to us is by paying them to leave the house in broom swept condition. This is a great little tip that has served us well doing lease options in Oklahoma. The tenants will run into hard times and won’t be able to pay his lease payment. They usually put down 3% and I come to them and say something along these lines: “Look you put down X and right now you still owe X for last month. I have a idea even though you owe me X I will actually pay you $200 $100 now and $100 when you show me the house is vacant and in broom swept condition. This method has helped me avoid foreclosure for years or even appearing in court to plea to the judge for an eviction.
I think the idea of having a national database for problem tenants is good, but I would like to know how often it is updated and how many reports they receive on a monthly basis. Any metrics like those would convince me more for the $29 fee.
Remember… be a servant,
Cory Boatright
Loss Mitigation Specialist
http://www.ShortSaleology.com
@Cory Boatright – Cory, great tip. You’re absolutely right. Thanks for that.
Regarding your question at the end, it’s up to landlords to update the donotrentto database. Whoever’s using the system (landlords) input the info on tenants to watch for.
And on the other side, when you get a tenant applicant, you’d go into the donotrentto database and do a search on them to see if any previous landlord has reported them.
So it’s not that they have staff inputting bad tenants and sending out monthly reports to subscribers. It’s much more like a community-run, nationwide database.
Make sense?
I use a service called “National Tenant Network”.
I had to pay to become a member, I don’t remember how much that was, but once a member, for $10 or $15 I get a full report on each prospective tenant.
I get a report if they’ve ever been in eviction court in any state, if they’ve been sued by a landlord, and some other goodies. They also have an options for a criminal check and cross-reference of their social security number.
It has saved me BIG from renting to a few real deadbeats, who had excellent “references”, even from supposed landlords.
http://www.ntnonline.com/
They have a lot of local offices, and I get the data in seconds from my computer.
Nick Cifonie
Host: http://www.REI-TV.com
Is there a database like this for Property Managers? I am working with a gentleman on a short sale where the company that was supposed to be managing his home has screwed him time and again.
My husband called anonymously asking about the house and was told it was currenly leased while the owner hasn’t gotten any rent for the past five months. Now they just told him yesterday that his house would be auctioned off today! Unbelievable!
Anyway, I’d love to find a way to warn other landlords away from this horrible “management company”. Anyone know of a “This Property Manager Sucks.com” ?
Thanks,
Brooke
@Brooke – Hey, Brooke, it sdeems to me like a perfect fit for http://www.angieslist.com
…jp
Being a landlord once and having a horrendous situation on our hands…I would have greatly appreciated this info 2 years ago. It is very concise and thorough. I am sorry for what you went through, but I understand your pain. First rule of thumb…Never rent to supposed “friends of the family”! It is not worth it and you will be taken advantage of. Because they are friends we did not do the proper tenant screening, and we were sorry and out $5000.00.
We should have done a tenant background check, and I like the idea of making the tenants pay for it. It is an additional tenant screening process all by itself.
We should have done one ourselves as we have our own horror story and money lost.
A lot of those suggestions I would not have even thought about. I wish I would have seen them before I rented. Well, there is always next time, or maybe not…
How do you get the list of bad tenant. Some people call it Renters list. How do you get it, so that I can find out if the person that Im renting to is good or not?
@Jessie – Jessie, you should first and foremost screen your tenants with a credit check and criminal background check. There are often local agencies who provide that service. Check with your local REIA group or landlord association and you’ll probably find them advertising in the club newsletter.
Then the DoNotRentTo.com list is an excellent backup, to verify if OTHER LANDLORDS have reported them to the list.
Hope that helps.
…jp
One person to not rent to in Calgary is 25 year old Jason Lefebvre as he is nothing but a lazy and compulsive liar and as well he has screwed over numerous landlords when it comes to paying rent. As well Jason Lefebvre lives like a slob and a pig as he is to lazy to keep his rental room clean and the reason he was kicked out from his last rental was for failing to paying the rent of $350 and only paid $100 of the whole months rent of $350.
As well 25 year old Jason Lefebvre is to lazy to work at a full time job and apparently he was fired from his most recent job as he was totally useless and lazy. I would definetly not rent any room to 25 year old Jason Lefebvre as he is only using landlords for the sake of having a room rented till he gets kicked out again for failing to pay rent on time.
Hello my name is Jason Lefebvre and apparently I am in financial trouble with the Bank of Commerce for taking out more money from my bank account than what I had in there. Apparently the Bank of Commerce has cut me off from using my account and as well if I do not pay the money back they will be laying criminal charges against me and I may end up going to court and be sent to prison for what I have done.
Do not rent to Mariah Burke she will trash your house and totally destroy it by knocking holes in the walls.
John J. Smith/Donna M. Smith trashed our home and it was brand new 4 bdroom no one had lived in it. Just filled a dumpster with the trash they left. Clean up will cost plenty. DO NOT RENT OR EMPLOY THESE PEOPLE.
John Smith? Seriously? 🙂
On the western slope of Colorado there is another deadbeat you should not rent to his name is Dave Parson’s, and his girlfriend Robin. They are the biggest liars and will fill you with stories of how they have a successful landscaping business, and they are really the best tentants you will ever have.
The truth is they do not pay their bills, or rent. They spend their nights in at a local bar begging for booze, and money, in return for nothing. Their business is a failure. There is always an excuse why rent was not paid this month, or they are working on the next big deal, that never comes through. They have cost home owners thousands of dollars.
I would advise anyone in the Southern California area to not rent to Aaron Kalior and Keosha Engleberg. Aaron has lied dozens of times and now is 4 months behind. My bad for letting it go so long, but I actually used to believe he was going to pay. In the mean time he has bought a New Prius and aused Moped, gone on Vacation to San Francisco and more.
The landlords should always do tenant screening for all their potential tenants to avoid unwanted situations. This will help them secure their investments and run their business properly.
Do NOT rent to Shannon Neyland Rushing from Louisiana, but lives in Decatur GA!!! She has paid at least 6 weeks behind since the day she’s lived in my property. Being a single parent I was trying to show compassion for her situation, but she took full advantage of that! She recently pleaded with me to wait until she gets a big insurance settlement so she can catch up on August and September’s rent. I waited until October 2nd before notifying her of filing for an eviction. Once I notified her she sent me several text messages claiming that she’s not paying because I shared her financial business with several people (not true), I made a verbal promise to reduce the rent by several hundred dollars (not true), and whatever excuse she could come up with! She even went as far to say that she has receipts from repairs she made around the house and now I owe her!!! Her receipts and repairs are bogus because I take care of all repairs on my property. Come to find out, she has done this same thing in the house she just moved from. Also, after searching the Dekalb County Online Judicial System, it turns out she has been evicted several other times for non – payment of rent!
NEVER rent to Amber Cramm. She moved out without any notice, and refused to pay the rent she owed. She also defaulted on her utility bill. Upon moving out she left a lot of rubbish and thousands of dollars worth of damage to the property.
Do Not rent to Reginald L. Heath and Alesia Brown. They are dead beat renters in Las Vegas. Bonnie and Clyde team with a family. They both have a criminal background…So beware!!!
How can I get in touch with you
Do not rent to Humberto Tamez JR and/or Adriana Sanchez. They ruined my place, vacated before I had them evicted, deposit didn’t even come close to covering the damages or unpaid rent. They apparently used the place as a crashpad for oil and gas worker transients. They lived in absolute filth, I pity their children and intend to contact Child Protective Services.
Rachel Thoele of Oakland, California is someone to stay away from. Has cheated many people in the San Francisco Bay Area. Like a rodent hiding behind your walls you can’t get rid of.
DO NOT RENT TO SUSAN NGUDIE IN THE LANCASTER,PA AREA!! She has not paid rent or utility bills for the last three months and refuses to leave the property. She is verbally abusive and will destroy your property. She is not only a slob but plays the ‘race’ card every chance she has. Save yourself time, money, and the value of your property and DON’T RENT TO SUSAN NGUDIE (plus her three children). She sent me an email today claiming she is using African VOO DOO to curse me and my home, this lady has serious issues and should be avoided.
Landlord from Philadelphia, PA -Advice! Do not Rent to a Tenant by the name of Roberto Rodriguez, look him up on Face book…I rented him a suite included basic forniture for Single man who can’t afford furniture after getting kicked out by their mate- This person decided to leave with one unpaid month’s worth rent and to top it off , he took (stold) my furniture, like Picture Frame , Microwave and bed frame…. He Broke my brand new Vaccum purchased 4 months prior, then broke the Brand New Fridge I bought for that Room he was staying at— Then He have the GUTS to threaten to sue me and that he had a lawyer, then he Tried to Bad Mouth Me , THen he said I was Mad because HE Found a Better Place than mine to RENT! I replied that Landlords does’nt Get upset when a Tenant Leaves, They get glad if they were destroying up your property, You sure don’t want to keep a Tenant that is making you loose money instead of Earning the Money! Peace my READERS ENJOY THE STORY , I WOULD POST MORE WHN WORST STORIES COME THE WAY! By Ivette- Nazario Phila, PA!
Issues that I had Encouter with Previous Tenants, out of 4 years I can really say , I had at least 4 Bad Tenants in San Antonio-Converse Texas- 1) Michelle (Shelly) Montelione Tall Girl- Was served an Eviction Notice by Me, Her boyfriend Broke 3 tv’s that I had in other Rooms for Rent, they stole the Bed frame, my $70.00 Converter Box, and broke alot of things, got the home infested of Roaches, went on vacation without paying her two weeks , came back from vaca and still did not pay Rent, lying that her check did not posted on her bank account-
I didnt care about Listening to her Fake Story-Then did a Police Report at Converse Police District of “False” accusations that I stole her Son’s Bike! And The Room/Suite was suppose to be for her self and she ended up bringing her 3 Kids in a 12X12 unit that was for one person, brought her Lazy Bomb Boy friend, and Her 18 Step son that I caught her Screwing…. Tenant #2) Philadelphia PA JUNIATA PARK AREA – Tenant Hector Laureano Left the Room he rented from me, took the Dead Bolt Keys and the Entry Key, never Responded to any of my Messages asking him to Return Key , In the mean time I waisted 21/2 Week’s Income for the key, because he took the last one I had , Then I lost $ 400.00 worth of earnings on that ROOM that I could off Rented along time agodue to his stupidity BIg Mistake…..,
Back again…. Continuation from previous Post Re: Worst Tenants and their bad habits… Tenant # 3) Do not Rent To a 36 yr. old in PHILADELPHIA, PA (JUSTIN GALAN) He is a Job Less Creature whom Lives with his mom all his Life, He Rented from ME! His Trick was and Please Readers , Learn from this one, His Psychology Catch is – They come up with their Deposit, fine, but then , he Won’t pay after the Deposit has been Given, To take him out was a challenge, I offered to give him $100 to leave and I would pay for his next Room and also give him a Good Reference to a New Landlord…..BS…It did not work , my GOD , the Property Manager literly , spoke to him with a High pitch Tone of Voice and DEMANDED TO LIVE OR ELSE The cops were going to charge Him with Tresspassing because the Manager had already Served him an Eviction End of Contract Letter. He Took the Suite’s Sheets, Trash Can, and Pillow, Also Left the Blue Rugs Dirty as Hell, OMG this was another Horrible Tenant…. Whom kept asking for his Eviction Notice to take it to Court! OMG what a struggle and a Challenge it is To be a LANDLORD–WE NEED AN AWARD—WE NEED A BLESSING FROM PEOPLE BECAUSE WE OFFER HABITAT TO LOW INCOME INDIVIDUALS FOR $ 90-125 Per Room Package and End up being Screwed by THESE BAD CREATURE TENANTS….take care my current Readers, I’ll have more to post next time or next week –Good Luck to all of you LANDLORDS—MAY GOD BRING YOU PEACE OF MIND AND PROSPERITY ALWAYS…. (WT)
James Kirkbride moved into my house without my consent. I asked him to leave nearly two months ago and he decided to squat in my house until the police throw them out. I have gone through the courts to get him and Christopher Bays out and they are in their final two weeks after finally taking them to court. Oh by the way, James is fond quoting renter laws at you which he is actually not that familiar with. He does know how to squat and not pay however! I had some friends of mine who still live down there find out that this is his MO. He never pays and forces you to evict!
This has been an expensive nightmare that is not even over with for me. I just want to try to get this out before they have a chance to screw someone else over like they did me. Do Not Rent to James Kirkbride or !
Christopher Bays (3386 last 4) was a descent tenant up until he got divorced. He is 3 months behind in rent, hasn’t kept the house up as we agreed, and finally moved a very undesirable
person in with him by the name of James Kirkbride without my consent. He assured me that he would pay over and over and hasn’t.
I asked him to leave nearly two months ago and he and his new roommate decided to squat in my house until the police throw them out. I have gone through the courts to get them out and they are in their final two weeks after finally taking them to court.
This has been an expensive nightmare that is not even over with for me. I just want to try to get this out before they have a chance to screw someone else over like they did me. Do Not Rent to Christopher Bays or James Kirkbride! They are over $3,000 into me and I am putting a judgement on them.
One person not to rent is Craig a Bartholomew in Roxana il. After being burned I found out he has had 5 other eviction court cases.
Tenants are almost 3 months behind in rent of $1600.00 a month = $4800.00. Keep promising that they are making a deposit that day. They are liars. Police & Child protective services were there and they didn’t open the door. Do Not Rent to them. I am filing eviction papers today. No more waiting.
Do not rent to: Gary E Simon & Shannon Miller Simon. Forgot to put the names.Tenants are almost 3 months behind in rent of $1600.00 a month = $4800.00. Keep promising that they are making a deposit that day. They are liars. Police & Child protective services were there and they didn’t open the door. Do Not Rent to them. I am filing eviction papers today. No more waiting.
do not i repeat do not ever rent to this dead beat Tracy Lynn Mclaughlin 45 of clearlake ca. after a year of pulling teeth to get rent, which was almost never on time{twice} or in full . i was marking the days till the end of her lease. when she came to me and litterly begged for an extension and crying about not wanting to be on the street and getting back to the ways that got her a 2 year sentence in prision. i said i would ill make it easy split the rent into 2 payments , make certain conditions or i wouldnt even consider it and she had to live up to her word. well in 2 weeks she was back to her old ways violated the lease in 3 places had her felon bf move in in violation of lease. i washed my hands at that time place was put into escrow to sell . let the next poor guy deal with her bs. then literally a week to 10 days before close a fire in a steel shop 2 car was started after said bf broke into it and started it . now on top of losing literally half my income and 10k$ in pocket down payment scrabling to figure out what to do that was end of july . filing a ut was pointless as i had a hard enough time living on my new income of 600 a month and no way could afford the $240 filing fee{ they wont give waivers up here if you have anything }so 3 months no rent and one more time i have had to take cuts in my life because this person isnt responsible enough to live up to her responsibility If uyou look at your rental property as a business and income save yourself the headache of dealing with this person.
near rochester,ny do not rent to aimee maas, brian curtain or william snyder
Do not rent to: Elizabeth Mauchly, also known as Goldie Redd. She lived in an apartment in Holyoke, MA and failed to pay four months rent. She was late to pay every months rent that she did pay, and needed to be called, emailed, and visited to get payment. She would habitually claim that the rent had been sent, but lost in the mail. She would say she was going to drop in off, but a migraine kept her.
As a tenant she was also awful. Neighboring apartments called the cops several times to lodge noise complaints for “loud sex.” The cops showed up several times looking for her. She was found shooting pornography in the public hallways outside her apartment. Eventually an eviction notice had to be sent to remove the tenant for non-payment.
Do not rent to this woman unless you want to spend some time in small claims court, and are curious how low the bar for humanity can go.
In Boston, do not rent to Jonathan Starke.
Massachusetts is the worst state to be a landlord. As a 64 year old single landlady, trying to provide myself a home for personal use and rent to help subsidize income, found a young couple tenants, with two children, who does not pay rent, steals my personal property, steals my delivered packages, keeps a cluttered apartment, and files with the Massachusetts housing courts of apartment violations, simply to prolong their stay in the apartment for 6 more months without rent. And the State of Massachusetts protects them. I live from paycheck to paycheck. I’m paying a lawyer, the mortgage and trying to do repairs. I feel that I am without any hope as my lawyer tells me that I can end up owing the tenants.
Do not rent to George or Sharon Koumarianos in Lucerne Ca. It took over four months to evict and thousands to clean and repair not counting the unpaid rent. Took them to court, but state of California doesn’t enforce them to pay.
Don’t rent to Cassidy Thomas, He won’t pay and he’ll feed you lies of bullshit. UT and CA
One person you don’t want to rent to in Hawaii, Hawaii (Big Island of Hawaii) is Aulani Arakaki. This is what happened to me when I placed my ad on Craigslist. Then she reported me on CL as discriminating against her and her child. Here is what I posted on Craigslist in retaliation. It has been stated by a lady named Aulani Arakaki that I discriminated against her and her child who wanted to rent this unit from me. Let’s get the facts straight right here and now! She emailed me asking if I would consider renting to a single mother with a 19 month old child. I replied back nicely, “I have rented both my rooms, but if I heard of anything I would let her know.” I felt for her because I too was a single mother of four children and understood her predicament. She emailed back a nasty comment, “That I was discriminating against her and her child and that she was going to turn me in for discrimination and post it on Craigslist so that no one would rent from me again. This was all because I hadn’t had the time to take the post down yet. She followed through with her accusations. She also stated in her “Beware Moutain View Beware” posting that I told her that I don’t like children when that was never even mentioned or discussed. Pretty ridiculous allegation since I am a daycare provider. Bottom line, she was angry because I had already rented the unit and had not taken the post down so this is her way of retaliating. I guess she feels a certain sense of entitlement. So I now post LANDLORDS BEWARE!! Do not rent to this woman. She will cause you nothing but grief. She has no integrity and is not trustworthy. She has been cyber stalking me for the last few days. This is definitely someone you want to stay clear from. Remember the name AULANI ARAKAKI
This service is against the law (as are most tenant screening services) – Tenants know your rights as provided by the state and federal government and fight these people tooth and nail – 90% of the information they report is outdated or flat out wrong and thousands of people get denied rentals every day because of it.
Al(Wayne) & Amelia Rourk
Do not rent to them… ABSOLUTELY TORE MY PLACE UP with four kids and the house is filled with roaches and flies
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Landlords have far better things to do with their time than waste it reporting tenants who in reality are not a problem.
Do not rent to Kimetha A. Kendall — she ripped us off for over $9K of rent over 6 months and required us to go to court ?? times and travel ?? miles before she abandoned the house we leased to her, with no forwarding address or return of the keys. She is not someone you want to do any business with, trust us!
Must be a con artist trying to keep your evil shananagans and the evil of other conartist thieveing pieses of filth from being reported to other landlords!!!!
Landlords need to be warned about people like that!!!!
Landlords don’t need to be warned about anything except if you don’t pay the rent on time.
Yes they do! For example if a prospective tennent had just gotten out of jail after being convicted of child rape or if the prospective tenent has multipul convictions of theft or forgery the landlord should know about these things.
What if a tennent is a peeper? Checks under doors with mirrors or drills tiny holes through walks or uses two way glass to see or film naked tennents?
A credit check should reveal if a tennent has ever been evicted for nonpayment of rent or other reasons such as destruction of property. But they cost money and take up time.
Sarke a backround check should in most cases reveal these things but backround checks and credit checks cost money as dose checking court records so such a site could save landlords time and money.
Btw its only illegal if the person posting lies…in which case he and not the site owner has violated the law. If there are state and local laws being violated then they are probably not laws in the state/locality the site is based out of. If a federal law is ever passed then the owner could switch to an overseas company.
Such sites should not be used in placment of backround/credit checks and checking court records but to supplement them to save time/money.
If I have 10 applications to process and 5 of those applicants had horrible reviews on said website that is 5 less backround checks and credit checks I have to do.
Lets say of the 5 with no negitive reviews on that site 3 had bad criminal records then I would only have two applicants to do credit checks on.
Do you see how much time and money these sites save landlords?
Sarke do you want to live next to a peeper? You dont want to end up with a sex tape of you or pics of you pooping online do you? Didnt think of that? Well unless you have lived nextdoor to a peeping tom I wouldnt expect you to.
If you were to rent from me Sarke I would do my very best to protect you, your neighbors, and your guests from peeping toms, pedophiles, rapists, woman beaters, violent people, and drug addicts…by not renting to them.
Peeping toms and conartists deserve to be homeless!!! It is a landlords resposibility to protect their tennents from such scum! In my opinion landlords who dont do backround checks are irresponsible and if something happens because they didnt they should be held lible!!!!
JP Moses- I would check the website first, and then if there are no negitive reviews on the prospective tennent I would go ahead with the backround check and credit check.
You can also check court records to try and see if they have been involved in any lawsuits. (If they have been involved in alot of suits for jerry springer stuff Id avoid them, and Id also avoid them if they seem sue-happy)
You dont need to rent to someone who is going to break their own leg on purpose as well as lie and claim you never salt the sidewalks or who is going to try to get run over by you on purpose.
You can also check court records to try and see if they have been involved in any lawsuits. (If they have been involved in alot of suits for jerry springer stuff Id avoid them, and Id also avoid them if they seem sue-happy)
You dont need to rent to someone who is going to break their own leg on purpose as well as lie and claim you never salt the sidewalks or who is going to try to get run over by you on purpose.
Lets say hypothetically I rent out two rooms without doing a backround check. I rent one room to a mother with two kids and the other to a guy.
Lets say the guy had multipul rapes on his record including a child rape and because I was stupid and didnt do a backround I didnt know this. Well if he rapes her little girl that would be my fault for not doing a backround check!!!!
UPDATE — Kimetha A. Kendall may be living in the Austin area as of July, 2015. Do not rent to her!!
Florida panhandle – Gerald D. Short is a name to avoid. Skipped out on his last month’s rent, left the place a pigpen, broken toilet, filthy frig, etc. etc. Brought roaches into property, was constantly requesting repairs for items he broke and no matter how much you did for him, he’ll still badmouth you, stiff you and report you to whatever authority he can come up with.
If you see him, R-U-N
Do NOT rent to Joan Marie Burgos Sanchez in Alabama. She is from Puerto Rico. We have been renting homes for almost 20 years and this has been the worse renter by far.
Left, owing over a month’s rent plus late fees. But that’s nothing compared to what the house looked like. Had the nerve to call yelling at me because I asked for the rent. She moved out and left our nearly perfect new house in the worse condition. She said Im clean person, I don’t leave place dirty, I clean it, I’m Puerto Rican, we clean it. Not this Puerto Rican. I pulled up and first thing I see is yard fill with insect crawling , stinking garbage, old shoes, toys, covered in ants and maggots, broken out front windows in a nice neighborhood (brick house) with blue tape and cardboard on it. She wasn’t suppose to smoke or have pets inside, (she signed lease and papers to this rule) and she had been keeping strays coming in and out from streets, without washing them (per the surrounding neighbors). The carpets and floors were so damaged, only way to fix them is to take out old and bring in new. $$$$$$, money money and more money it will cost at least $8,000 to $10,000 to fix just from what I saw. That’s the cost if we can get the supplies on sale and deals. She put out cigarettes on the carpets. The house smells so bad, I had to wear a thick painters mask to help me get through the walk. I don’t know how a person can destroy ceramic tiles in a house, but she managed to make holes in some of the tiles. The grout is filthy. There is long dark yellow spots surrounding the granite bathroom sink from apparently leaving lit cigarettes on the edges of the new sink and they burned all the way down and left terrible looking spots. We had the new sink and cabinet put in a month before she moved in. The real wood long closet doors (that they don’t even make any more, the good stuff) that are louver (half of the panels are ripped out). None of the closet doors are on the hinges. The toilets has candle wax all over the top. There’s 2 tall piles of some white plaster looking stuff on the master bathroom tiles, that will have to be dug up and tiles replaced. Stains and dirt on every wall, so bad you can’t even clean it with a rag and cleaner. We had it painted before she moved in also. The entire house. The ceilings were white and I was so proud of how nice the house looked before she rented it. Now around every vent on ceilings, theres this dark ugly dirt and lots of it on the ceilings. Ive lived in our house for 13 years and never had anything like that come out of ours. We checked her out and she had decent credit and past professional references, work references with reputable companies. When I saw all the garbage she left all over the (before manicured landscape) I was mortified. Missing bedroom doors, broken bathroom doors off the hinges and hinges broken straight off the doors and walls. I did not check the pipes and plumbing yet. The stove, refrigerator and counter tops cig. burn stains. I almost threw up when I saw the damage. I was with my 2 children and one of them actually ran outside and threw up from the stench. The other one just went back to the car. Theres no way to ever get back what she took. It will take years to get this money back from her if she gets her wages garnished for the next 10 years. Its so much work we will have to do to recover. But we plan to do everything we can do to get it back. No one should get away with this kind of lack of respect for other peoples property. Looks like a crack house. Police came out and assessed it. In the past I was able to do a good bit of rental work myself. But my health has deteriorated over the years and I can’t do any of the repairs and renovating work I used to. And with this one now having had the almighty renter from the pits of hell, it’s going to take allot. So, please don’t be fooled like me. Do not rent to her.
Joan Marie Burgos Sanchez. She will say I’m a clean person, but she is filthy person and will trash your property, you will not recognized it. Changes jobs and cell phones every 6 to 8 weeks. I kid you not.
Our non-paying “renter” Kimetha Kendall has recently put up a GoFundMe page, claiming she’s deep in debt and needs people to give her money to get by. The page contains NUMEROUS lies, misstatements, whining, inaccuracies, etc etc. This woman will stop at nothing to rip off unsuspecting people. STEER CLEAR!
Joseph A and Marjorie FICK jR of Chestertown MD are vicious liars who want to vacation in your house then bully you into a full refund. I offered a full refund 1st night when they wanted my maid to come back to push the “clean oven” button for them as he was a cantankerous arse who thought a self catering house was 5 star staffed. They refused to vacate , bitched and moaned but wouldn’t leave. Finally left after 6 nights and paid discounted rate for only 3 just so he’d leave. Wanted full refund and to stiff the maid. Joe is a huge prick who tries to bully and berate women. They feel entitled to a 5 star treatment with a free ride at a self catering home. They just want others to pay their way to a free vacation. Self entitled old people on disability income.
I never thought I would EVER post a persons name on any media outlet but my conscious would not rest because this woman is truly evil! And will use her child to make you feel guilty into giving her more time which she has no intention of using to pay you! She owes me over $7,500 in back rent! The only thing she ever paid me was the first month’s rent and security and that was that. Her name is Latefa Harmon of Brooklyn NY or South Carolina. And get this, she also happens to be a small business owner running a business out of my apartment while she still doesn’t pay rent LOL!! Ballsy….
I’m adding the name of David Myriel of Toronto, Canada to this list, do not rent to him, he doesn’t pay and he’s a liar
Do not rent to Brett and Courtney Evans of Traverse City Mi, or Lansing Mi. They do not pay rent on time..very smooth talkers, I have herd every excuse ever made up. They have been evicted with a judgement plus small claims is in the process! They left junk cars and trash behind! They will also call to impersonate the landlord to get into another place! Beware!
I rented a beautiful Townhouse to Chanelle Denise Hilliard Edwards and Marcus Eugene Edwards in Apex NC. They lived there for almost 2 years and never paid rent on time. They always had an excuse about some personal problem they were going through. I have always worked with them and never charge a late fee. They moved out and broke their lease without less than 2 weeks notice because they were expecting a child and needed a bigger place. I tried to help them by asking them to place an ad for someone to take over their lease without any penalty. They damaged my place, broke the washer and dryer, left a lot of trash behind, left the place filthy over $2100 in rent and damages. They are currently living at 152 Lakeland Port , Sanford NC 27332. Chanelle works for Personify in Raleigh NC and Marcus works for Cree in Durham NC I am sure they lied to their current landlord about their previous resident as many of them do. I never received a call for reference.
This is illegal. This woman has absolutely no proof of any of these accusations. I have contacted this site several times to have this removed…..
Do not rent to Amanda Lee Conant (Houghton maiden name)in MA…she lived in my condo in Newburyport for over year, lied to us at every opportunity, stopped paying rent 6 months into her lease and made us put her through the eviction process…she has cost us over $15,000 so far, and we’re still counting. The neighbors tell us about all night parties, probable drug use, and child neglect. The police once had to bring her child home because she “forgot’ to pick him up at school. She had a live in boyfriend that she lied to her grant paying agency about, and left the condo a total mess. She may list Beverly as a previous address.
People work entirely too HARD, to have to deal with the malice of power of authority abusers such as this….
Lets not even talk about the size of the RATS!!! Yeah.. Destroy me? You better play chess not checkers! And keep your legal team handy .. men Lie.. women lie.. PICTURES, DOCTORS REPORTS AND PROOF DOESNT…
You truly have some nerve….
And lets also mention how NONE of your property was destroyed and apt was left in move in condition (other than the ceiling falling in and other issues you had before I moved in).. I am not a horrible tenant.. I work come in and take care of my son.. you have disgraced my name for the gratification of your own shortcomings… and have audacity to speak of someone being evil.. evil would have been to DRAG you for the things you did to me and my son… instead I left peacefully.. because I will win.. I won in court the first time.. and if you dont rectify this foolery.. I will win in court again.. YOUR SON is the ONLY reason I have not man handled you for everything you have… which honestly isnt much considering your income to debt ratio…..
Now again.. fix this.. IMMEDIATELY!
I’m a landlord now, but, remember when I was renting and some of the HORRIBLE people, to whom I paid rent.
How will this data base insure the accuracy of reports or stop vindictive exes, jaded girl/boyfriends etc. from making false reports ?
How do I report my tenants?
Larry J. Salazar and wife Veronica Chavez/White/Salazar moved in mid April, changed the deadbolt keys and didn’t give me a copy for months, didn’t pay until day before Metro Court in July, appealed after judge ordered them out, went to District court until September hoping I would be forced to pay him, no rent Judge had to order him out because of rule of law 47-8-47 look it up, it’s your friend. District Judge Victor seemed sad to order him out. But he had to. Drew on walls, or partially painted them awful colors, or slopped it onto the newly painted white ceilings, broke toilet, left house a disgusting mess, poop all over the toilets, so much hair it looked like gorillas took up residence, stole plug in covers, left the hot water on full blast all faucets for days, water bill was $300. He says he’s a Marine, he is not, says their black Lab is a service dog, it is not, works in heating and cooling but AC smelled like dead fish. Pads were moldy, reservoir was gross in swamp cooler. Left flammables in a bag on stove top, turned every dial on high then called electric company to put it back in their name. There was a leak in roof, he wouldn’t allow anyone on top or inside to check it out. 24 notice is only good in theory, if you try to apply it, it’s a whole new ballgame and set of rules when they say “no way”. Two boys, one 9, the other 18. Quit his job the day he moved in, sued his employer and stole their customers. Absolutely everything on his rental application was a lie, his SS#, referrals, everything except their names. New Mexico watch out for these two