Creative Ways To Qualify And Find The Best Section 8 Tenants

Creative Ways To Qualify And Find The Best Section 8 Tenants

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We manage about 146 Section 8 rentals as a Tampa property management company. I've learned over the years a few tricks that have a dramatic impact on the quality of tenants selected.A big key to success is just avoiding the poorly behaved and disgusting housekeepers on the Section 8 program.They do the most significant amount of damage because they have no respect for any cleanliness standard.How do we identify these people and weed them out?Glad you asked.

First off as a Tampa property manager, you do not accept anyone who is brand new to the program.They have no track record of behaving responsibly and caring for a home.As long as you are consistent in the application of this rule and the others I'm going to tell you about; you will not be violating the Fair Housing Standards according to my understanding (although I'm not a lawyer and am in no way offering legal advice).

Second, do not accept any Section 8 tenant who is moving from out of state.This rule goes hand in hand with the third rule and most important.Do inspections of where they currently live. Require in writing that they must let you into the home within 24 hours to inspect the home for cleanliness.

Over the years, the worst damages caused by tenants were ones that were so filthy that they were infested with roaches.So, when we arrive to inspect the home, we look under the kitchen sink and bathroom vanity.If we see roaches scurrying when we open the cabinet door, we know there are hundreds more at night, and the tenant is instantly denied. Of course, if we notice a disgusting living environment or tons of damages or drug activity while walking through the home, we will deny them as well.

I like to refund their application fee because they did qualify to rent on other standards like rental history, income, and so forth.Therefore, I don't feel right about keeping their application fee especially when I'm dealing with a low-income applicant who as far as I can tell didn't lie to me in any way.They are just horrible housekeepers. The reason why I don't accept Section 8 tenants from out of state is that I can't inspect where they live.

A lousy section 8 tenant can cause tens of thousands of dollars of damage.You can sue them and easily win a judgment, but you won't get the money.So, what is the point?There are quality people on the Section 8 program, but you have to search for them in a way that doesn't violate Fair Housing Standards.Having a standard like "no roaches can be found under the kitchen sink or vanity sink" is clear and not discriminatory.

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