Landlords - what kind of tenants have you had? Good, bad or ugly? And how to get and keep good ones

[Littleleopard1553]

I was at my rental property this weekend sorting out a couple of things and got chatting to one of the neighbours. She said she was selling her house (also a rental property) as she had had several sets of bad tenants in a row and it had become too stressful. I was really shocked as its a nice street in a nice area.

I have been lucky so far as my own tenants have been there two years and so far have been really good tenants. But now I am panicking about future tenants.....

Landlords, what had your experience of tenants been?

How do you make sure you get, and keep, good ones?

I've been lucky too - one set of real idiots at the very beginning and since then they've all been pretty good. I manage the flats myself and advertise them when we need new tenants - it's been relatively trouble-free. We've had some tenants stay several years - we keep the rent competitive and sort out problems as quickly as possible, the flats are attractive and in good areas where people want to live.

Thanks. My house is attractive and in a sought after area. It is very small (two up two down) so would only really attract couples or individuals, it is too small for families with kids.

I have not raised the rent in the last two years as my tenants have been good and I am keen to keep them, and I have also fixed problems very quickly.

I did a bit of Internet snooping and it looks like my neighbour who was having problems renting her house was renting it furnished, which I think might attract people who don't stay as long or younger people who are perhaps less likely to look after the place? My own house is unfurnished. Her house also doesn't look very nice inside so maybe she was attracting the wrong kinds of tenant?! She did also say some of her troublesome tenants were two 19 year old boys and to be fair I probably wouldn't agree to rent to two 19 year old boys in the first place!!

We've got good tenants at the moment, we ended up being flexible on pets to get them, a family with a labrador sounds more appealing than a bunch of sharers, and we've been proved right so far. My neighbour opposite had lots of groups of sharers, while some were good, others just didn't maintain the house as well, I think because they didn't really see it as a home.

Yes I have allowed my tenants to have a cat, again I would rather have a nice couple with a cat!
My house is too small to appeal to a group of sharers, and I have tried to avoid anyone too young.

I was a landlord for over 10 years and had excellent tenants all the time. I kept them happy by respecting them (no inspections) and getting anything sorted that needed it and also by not increasing the rent.

I always thought it was better to let someone feel that they were getting a good deal rather than feeling they were being ripped off.

Worked for me anyway.

I have 2 flats. One flat has has the same tenant in it for 14 years! Sorts repairs etc all himself. Has once been late with rent when his mum was poorly.

Other flats has had tenant for 3 years but 8 years ago it was completely and utterly trashed by a drug addict and his pals. Drug addict when to prison and left the keys with his mates who destroyed the place completely. Even down to sucking the gas out of light bulbs (you can get a high off them apparently).

When I interviewed tenant he came with his parents who were very high up in the medical profession in the UAE. They gave me 3 month rent in advance along with a copy of the tenants employment offer and contract as he was due to start a new job in a months time. Tis was his first rental.

They never told me about his drug habit. The letter and contact were made up because they though he deserved a second chance.

I am sure they still regret the day they crossed me. They did end up paying for the outs ding rent and some of the damage.

The police said the mess was beyond anything they had ever seen. So bad that the council and the industrial cleaners refused to sort it. DH did and we recovered over 500 used needles. It was bloody horrendous and took weeks to sort.

Wow Crutchlow sorry to hear that.
My own tenants have been very good.

Well I could write a bloody book.
All houses over £250,000 where we have charged £500+ rent have been a nightmare, not paying rent, trashing the place etc.
I had a little ex council place that had a single mum with four kids in it, never a problem.
I learnt the hard way never rent to friends.

We've rented houses to all sorts of tenants, sharers and young people have definitely been worst - a lack of respect for the house and the landlord and a general "world owes me" attitude.

Single mothers on housing payments have been some of the best tenants, but the council payment system has been a nightmare and meant frequent late payment.

Younger families have tended to keep the house nicer, but unfortunately seem to split up with their partners and move out within a couple of years.

Single people, tend to meet partners and move out....

We've had most luck with older, retired tenants who know how to fix small problems, know how to set up a DD(!!), chose the house/location with a degree of permantcy in mind.

When it goes wrong its an expensive and stressful nightmare, so, if you have good tenants do everything you can to keep them!!

We rent two properties, have never had any problems - both are furnished, both rented by young professionals.

We keep the property in good condition - I think tenants treat the place better if it's nice to begin with. We don't hassle them, always give lots of warning about coming round. We also keep the rent relativly cheap - means we have had one tenant for ten years so have never lost a month's rent. We always use an agent to find tenants but manage them themselves.

I think it's partly luck though and there's only so much vetting you can do.

I rent out furnished rooms in shared houses.

I meet all tenants and take references over the phone. References are really important to me.

If I get a bad vibe I don't rent to them.

I don't blanket ban people on benefits, students, pets etc., but I have a few signs I look out for.

If they make noises about not being able to afford this, that or the other I don't rent to them, it's usually a sign they will not pay rent on time in the future.

If they turn up late for a viewing appt. and don't apologise/explain I don't rent to them.

If there's any whiff of entitlement about them, I don't rent to them.

I don't rent to friends, friends of friends or anyone who thinks who they can get an easy ride because they can sweet talk me.

I do everything

Sorry -

I do everything by the book. I don't take the piss, I get the gas checked every year, I get maintenance problems sorted same day. I find out what they need and get it for them. And I give all my tenants a Christmas present every year.

... except work.

Pah, not quick enough.

I rent out my flat. I've never had problems with tenants, as I meet them all at open viewings when I'm advertising between tenants.

I also use an application form for prospective tenants, which weeds out potential issues eg smokers, DSS etc. I always check references & choose young professional couples in steady relationships.

My "methods" have worked for 10 years.

Wallison

DH and I are accidental landlords, having been unable to sell DH's flat when we got married.

Things we've learned

• even the best of tenants will occasionally break / damage things. It happens.
• make sure the people in the other flat (i.e. the flat below our flat) can get hold of us in an emergency, or in a non-emergency. We gave them our contact details when it turned out that a set of tenants had been really noisy for months, when we could have sorted the problem out straight off. This paid off when another tenant flooded our flat and we were able to get round straight away.
• slightly older people are often better at looking after property, but can then be fussier about having it kept up.
• but having someone with high standards is probably good for the property in the long run, as small things are pointed out quickly before they can escalate
• if tenants are not from the UK, they may have teething troubles, and it may be worth keeping a closer eye on them
• we also keep it looking really nice and have a fairly moderate rent, and we never have a problem finding new tenants