The Great Ideas Letter Forum

Re: One idea to find good renters

Posted By: sandy
Date: Friday, 28 January 2005, at 8:51 p.m.

In Response To: Banned From Renting (Michael Ross)

You could run some type of ad to attract "good renters". When I rented , once I found a landlord on craigslist and then I wrote her a letter telling her all of the places I rented and the positive feedback I got. That was enough to convince her. I gave her the names and phone numbers of managers, so she could verify my comments.

So, if you ran an ad or some type of contest for good renters to "praise themselves" they would become part of your list. As a good renter I'm sure they want to find landlords who appreciate them.

Sometimes a "good renter" is in a transitional period in their life and always looking for a better rental deal.

Sandy,

> Thanks for the renting idea.

> Down here in Australia there is a list that
> real estate agents are a part of. I forget
> what they call it. However, if a tenant is
> bad the tenants gets put on the list. Once
> on the list NO agent will lease them a
> property for three years!

> The problem is, there is no right of appeal.
> So if a tenant has a shitty property manager
> whom they don't get along with, the manager
> could very likely add them to the list to
> stuff them up.

> This is not how it is with credit reports
> down here. At least with those, you can send
> in additional information which is added to
> your credit report that might explain an
> entry that doesn't look good.

> These "Bad Tenant" things don't
> stop bad tenants getting into places - as
> this blog entry shows.

> And speaking with a property manager just
> this week (Tuesday) she told me it is very
> hard for mangers now-a-days what with
> privacy laws et al.

> Personally, I see no problem with a PRIVATE
> information exchange. As it would really
> only be rating, as you say, their payment
> promptness and consistency.

> I really only see one problem with the idea.
> And that is getting the property managers
> and landlords to leave ratings. Oh sure,
> they would all want to view ratings of
> tenants they are checking out. But when a
> tenant leaves, would they bother spending
> the time to rate them and/or leave
> additional comments?

> I think if there was a way around that
> "problem" then the idea could fly,
> and well.

> It's better than a "bad tenant"
> list because it covers the entire range of
> how a tenant is. And it could even be done
> using scripts online. Like those product
> rating scripts that allow ratings of five or
> six different things as well as comments.

> Michael Ross

Messages In This Thread

Renters & the latest issue/another idea
sandy -- Wednesday, 26 January 2005, at 10:11 p.m.

Banned From Renting
Michael Ross -- Friday, 28 January 2005, at 3:05 p.m.

Re: One idea to find good renters
sandy -- Friday, 28 January 2005, at 8:51 p.m.

Let's see where this might lead...
Michael Ross -- Friday, 4 February 2005, at 3:19 p.m.