Research rental rights

Tenants and landlords should educate themselves before signing a lease, experts say.

Date published: 9/7/2006

By KAFIA HOSH

The middle-aged truck driver looking to rent Jody Brumbaum's Spotsylvania home seemed credible.

His salary could meet the $1,450 rent on Brumbaum's investment property in Lake Wilderness.

And as an airline pilot, Brumbaum's husband was considerate of the truck driver's sporadic schedule. He knew what it was like having a job that required extensive traveling and being away from home.

"My husband decided on him," Brumbaum said. "He was kind of sympathetic."

But six months into his lease, the truck driver and his girlfriend started defaulting on their rent.

Each month's missed payment came with an elaborate excuse.

"It was one story after the other," Brumbaum said.

For a while, the Spotsylvania couple dipped into their savings to make the home's mortgage payments.

But enough was enough, and Brumbaum decided to evict the truck driver.

"It was about the money. But the stress level it put on my family--it was insane," she said.

A nightmare tenant or a difficult landlord can put a strain on anyone's finances or emotions. But there are ways to screen potential renters or protect yourself from a dishonest property owner.

Landlords should first ensure an applicant can afford the rent, says Susan Scovill, director for the center of housing advocacy at Housing Opportunities Made Equal in Richmond.

"Verify that they have reliable and regular income," she said. "It's not a requirement that a landlord do that, it's just wise."

There are a number of ways to verify employment, including collecting the renter's pay stubs. Or the property owner can request a written or oral employment verification from the tenant's employer, Scovill said.

Performing a credit check of the potential renter is also beneficial.

Either way, landlords should have a screening process in place, according to Scovill.

"A landlord can design their own standards, but they need to be consistent," she said. For instance, "It may be that they're willing to look over medical issues."

And that's just what the Brumbaums did. They dismissed the outstanding medical bills on the truck driver's credit report.

Instead, the couple relied on his income.

Still, the tenant used his financial problems as the reason that he could not pay rent.

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Date published: 9/7/2006