How can we satisfy ourselves that tenants will be good ones?

I was asked today, by someone who read my blog post recently about the ease at which I found 2 new tenants, how you can be sure that you are going to get good tenants?

The person was asking me from a point of view of assuming that even if conventional references and checks appear fine - what other factors help you to determine if you feel a potential tenant will be a good one - or not.

My answer was that you can never be 100% sure that any tenant will be a good one.

Credit checks, employer references etc all help, but in my experience there are other indicators that often give you clues about the type of people you are dealing with.

In one of the 2 houses we recently let, there was a classic situation of many 'give-away' indicators to me that the potential tenants were probably going to be ok. Their credit checks etc came back fine - but it was the other 'clues' that were just as important to me in deciding to give them the tenancy.

Firstly, they had no quibble about finding all the first months rent and the bond immediately. They both had solid employment histories with very established local companies too.

Explaining that they wanted to stay in the property a long time, they discussed with me their plans for redecoration and landscaping of the garden - all improvements to the house - at their expense.

They also had no problems withthe notion of supplying a family member (mother)as a guarantor for the rent. I took this opportunity to use it as an excuse to visit the mother and it gave me a good insight into the way the house was kept - which was immaculate. I also couldn't help but notice that the potential tenants car was clean and immaculate inside, and their young duaghter was dressed immaculately.

They absolutely loved the house, and I could see that they were psychologically 'moving in' already as we did the viewing. They asked if they could do a second viewing and bring some family members along. This was no problem to me - in fact it indicated that they had strong local family ties. When I met the family, who all loved the house, it turned out that I was acquainted with one of them already - this certainly made the relationship seem even firmer.

Overall, after years of experience vetting potential tenats, I simply used my instinct, experience and common sense to conclude that these people would be as good a tenant as any.

Now, time may prove my instincts to be wrong - but I somehow doubt it.

Experience has taught me that even if formal checks and references are fine, it pays to use instinct and common sense in finalising your decuisions.