In 2023, experts forecasted that Georgia's Chatham County, whose county seat is Savannah, was on track to have almost 10,000 eviction notices. That would reflect an increase from the previous year's 8,935 notices.
As a Savannah landlord yourself, evictions should be your last resort, as they cost a lot of time and money.
Fortunately, there are ways to minimize the likelihood of having to evict tenants. One is to conduct a comprehensive credit and tenant background check process.
We've shared insights on such tenant screening tools, so read on.
Credit Checks
Most Americans have good to exceptional credit scores, but over one in four have scores that only classify as "fair" or "poor." A thorough credit check can help you discover if your prospective tenants belong to the first or the second group.
Checking your applicants' credit scores and histories is crucial because it can tell you how they manage their finances. For example, low scores suggest delinquent accounts, while high scores indicate on-time debt repayment.
Employment and Income Checks
Always run an employment and income check when reviewing a tenant's rental application. It can help you determine whether they make enough so that they won't give you trouble when it's time to collect rent from them. It can also help you verify the applicants' identities and determine whether the income they say they make is accurate.
Criminal Background Checks
Reviewing applicants' criminal backgrounds is another crucial tenant verification step for Savannah landlords. With this, you'll learn if a prospective tenant has:
- Committed a crime, and the type and severity of the crime committed
- Received a conviction
- The date of the conviction
If you skip this step, you may allow people with a history of severe crimes into your property. That can put your property, other tenants, and community in harm's way. At the very least, your tenants may use your property as a site for criminal activities, and you'd have no choice but to file for eviction.
Rental History Checks
A rental history check involves contacting your prospective tenants' previous landlords. Doing so allows you to verify the landlord references applicants provided in their application.
Speaking with previous landlords can give you a wealth of information, such as if the tenants you're asking about have:
- Always paid rent on time or had trouble doing so
- Followed their lease agreement's terms and conditions to a T
- Cared for the rental property and satisfied their tenant obligations
- An eviction history
- Received complaints filed by their neighbors
So, never skip rental history checks, as they can help you gauge whether a tenant is "bad" or highly qualified.
Consider Outsourcing the Tenant Background Check Process
A comprehensive tenant background check lets you determine someone's credit, employment, income, criminal, rental, and eviction history. It can help you better assess your prospective tenants' reliability and trustworthiness. However, it can be time-consuming, so consider outsourcing it to professionals.
At PMI Savannah Metro, we help property owners find and retain qualified tenants in Savannah, GA. From marketing to tenant screening and rent collection, we can do all these and more for you. We're part of PMI, a national company that has served the property management industry for over two decades.
So, call us today to schedule your consultation!
