Professional tenants are people who get the lease but with the intention of paying little or no rent. They will try to stay as long as possible in your unit and it is often difficult to have them removed in a timely manner.
What is a Professional Tenant?
Professional tenants are often the worst tenants, as they take up your time and energy, causing you plenty of headaches. You’ll miss out on rent and often have to work with the courts.
These tenants understand every legal loophole around rental units to postpone evictions. They will often threaten landlords with every course of action, especially using the legal system. Many landlords allow the professional tenant to stay longer despite paying little rent.
By the time a landlord can evict this nightmare tenant, the unit will often be in bad condition, and the landlord will have lost thousands of dollars.
Common Tactics Used By Professional Tenants
These types of tenants usually have a specific playbook they follow to maximize their time in your unit with the least amount of rent paid. Here’s what to look out for:
Paying in Cash – Cash is much harder to track. Professional tenants can forge receipts or claim they made payments. In the event the landlord and tenant find themselves in court, proof of nonpayment is harder to prove.
Paying Partial Rent – When a landlord accepts a partial rent payment, it’s usually accompanied by an agreement that the tenant will pay the rest later. This is a stall tactic to delay being eviction. It’s worth noting that landlords should not accept partial payments after the eviction process has started, as some states will have you restart it (which professional tenants are aware of).
Claiming the Unit is Uninhabitable – Tenants are often allowed to withhold rent if the unit is uninhabitable. A bad tenant could damage the unit on purpose in order to withhold rent.
Avoiding Late Fees – Professional tenants know that landlords care much more about the rent than the late fees. Landlords will tire of becoming debt collectors and often will stop chasing after late fees if some of the rent is being paid. This is also a green light for the tenant to keep pushing to see what they can get away with.
How to Spot a Professional Tenant
During the tenant screening process, look for certain red flags indicating a professional tenant. Here’s what to look out for:
- A poor financial record with several bankruptcies, judgments, collections, or bad credit
- Gaps in recent rental history with no explanation
- History of evictions or litigation with previous landlords
- Extensive knowledge of landlord-tenant law
- Non-existent, incomplete, or even fake landlord references
How to Avoid a Professional Tenant
Landlords should run thorough background checks on potential tenants and watch out for red flags. Here are some tips for avoiding professional tenants during screening:
- Call all landlord references and ask them insightful questions about the potential tenant. They are your best resource for uncovering a professional tenant.
- Verify all employment information, bankruptcy records, and criminal and court records.
- Interview all potential tenants personally.
- Perform a proper credit check.
Professional tenants should be avoided at all costs. A meticulous screening process is imperative if a landlord wants to keep professional tenants out of their units.
