How I do an in-home interview
This week I saw a feed where someone had asked the question “what three things people look for in potential tenants?” That got me curious because we don’t look for three, but four things in a potential tenant.
As I read the responses, people listed things like credit scores they prefer and job stability. One said they were looking for someone who does not have an eviction, conviction or bankruptcy, which I thought was a well thought out way to say that.
Most of the people’s three answers had to do with the ability of the applicant to pay. For us, it’s more than that. We are looking for someone who can do what we call the four jobs of a tenant, and just to remind you, those jobs are as follows: No.1, Take care of the house. No.2, Pay on time. No.3, Be comfortable to work with by using good communication and always being respectful. No.4, Be a good neighbor.
In order for someone to be selected for one of our houses, the applicant must demonstrate their ability to do those four jobs. And to be honest, the paper application we use only allows us to ascertain part of that information. So, to fully understand that an applicant can do those four jobs, we have to do something called an in-home interview. And today, I would like to describe how it works.
First, applicants must have been to the property in person and then fill out our application. We then verify that they meet our minimum criteria in regards to income, job duration, occupancy level for the house, rental history, minimum home maintenance skills and acceptable pet breeds.
Once that is verified, we call the applicant and let them know they have made it to the next step in the application process, which is the in-home interview. Our office manager explains that I will be coming out to meet with them at their house and schedules the appointment.
On the day of the in-home, I call one hour prior to the appointment to make sure we are still good for the agreed-upon time, and then make my way to the house. Once onsite, I take a clip board, their application and a pen and head to the door.
Inside, I take my shoes off like I do at a seller appointment. They often tell me I don’t have to do that, to which I reply, “I do it at my house, I’m going to respect yours.” This is a disarming gesture I do to build rapport and show respect because, to be frank, in-homes aren’t a normal practice and people tend to get a little antsy waiting for me.
When we sit down, I go ahead and address the elephant in the room. I tell them “This is a little weird, isn’t it?” They always smile nervously and agree. That breaks the ice.
Next, I tell them that we believe in something called the tenant-landlord relationship. And explain that we have a lot of information about them on their application, but that it’s real hard to have a relationship with a piece of paper. Our purpose for today’s meeting is to turn them from paper to people. At this point they realize this is a mutually beneficial meeting and the tension dissipates.
Next, I tell them that we are also here to introduce the four jobs of a tenant. I let them know that our philosophy is that we are hiring them to do four jobs, which I then state, and that if they get the house and do the four jobs, they can stay just as long as they like. But if they neglect one of those jobs, then we will have to terminate our relationship.
During the interview I ask them about themselves, their family, where they work and what they do for fun. You know, normal ‘getting to know people’ questions that you would do with anyone you just met. Next, I start asking more pointed questions about things on their application to find out information like job history. You would be surprised how often people say they have been on the job for a year on the application, but during the inhome they state a date that is only ten months back.
Our office assistant also notes questions that she was either unable to verify, that appeared ambiguous or are some sort of concern that need to be clarified. A common thing here is we ask for account balances on our application to see if they have enough to move in. If they don’t have enough, I ask about this. We often find
that the issue was that the applicant only listed their account and not the coapplicant’s account. This is important because had we not done the in-home, they would have been disqualified for not having enough to move in.
The in-home is a fact-finding mission. I’m checking the condition of the house, meeting the pets, watching how the people interact with each other and all of this is to verify that they can do the four jobs of a tenant. It is also a rapport building mission. I want our applicants to realize they will be entering into a relationship with us, too. They get to ask questions about the house, our processes and meet their property manager. And when I leave, the applicants are normally appreciative that we did the in-home.
We have been landlords for 14 years now. And I believe that this practice has been the major key for us always having great tenants who take care of our houses, stay and pay on time. And that is how I do the in-home interview.