Stop letting inaccurate tenant screening reports prevent you from picking high-quality tenants. Thorough screening is essential for choosing the best tenant for your rental property. However, your screening service also needs to deliver accurate information.
Not all tenant screening services are the same. So, looking for one that fits your needs is essential. These four tips will help you find the best tenant screening service for your rental property investment.
1. Experience and Knowledge
The tenant screening service you hire should have experience and knowledge. They need to know what signs to look for that would signal a potential problematic tenant. Better tenant screening will help contribute to fewer evictions.
Your screening service also needs to stay up to date on the latest laws. The most important of which is the Virginia Fair Housing Law. This protects applicants who belong to protected classes from discrimination.
This is a potentially tricky law. Tenant screening practices or questions may not seem discriminatory on their face. However, in application, they can have discriminatory effects.
2. Reviews and Client Experience
Ask for client references from a potential screening service. This lets you speak with current clients who can give you a better perspective of the service. Reputable property managers in Richmond will provide you with references who can speak to their professionalism.
Another option is to read online reviews. This can give you greater insight.
However, take online reviews with a grain of salt. People are more likely to leave negative reviews than positive ones. Less reputable managers may also pay for reviews, resulting in them having hundreds of perfect five-star reviews.
3. Screening Services Offered
Ask about the services included in the tenant screening. Some services will only offer basic screening. Other services will provide marketing, screening, and lease management services.
Working with a property management company can provide valuable support to your rental management. Their continued support reduces the stress and responsibility placed on your shoulders.
Some tenant screening services offer a guarantee. This can provide you with an extra layer of protection. This becomes important if you must evict a tenant placed through the screening service.
4. Affordable Pricing
The Richmond tenant screening service you hire needs to be one that you can afford. Determine what fits your budget and then look for the best quality service that fits within it.
Hiring a service may seem expensive upfront. However, once you calculate all the individual costs of tenant screening, it is clear that a service is more economical.
Hire Tenant Screening Services
When you hire tenant screening in Richmond, you have an experienced team of professionals supporting you. Their knowledge will help you screen out potentially problematic tenants. They can also streamline your screening process with a proven system.
The team at PMI Presidential works with rental property owners to place high-quality tenants. Our experience and tools ensure each placement is the best possible for a successful renting experience.
Place better tenants in your rental properties by trusting PMI Presidential to do your tenant screening.
