Landlord or Slumlord: How to Check Them Out Before You Write a Check

Throughout time, renters have often found themselves at the tender mercies of their landlords. You can help reduce the rental victim count by doing a little homework before spending your money on a move. Slumlords have been known to create problems beyond the obvious. They can be difficult to find, hard to communicate with, make unwarranted demands of renters, and have arrest records or a history that might otherwise concern you. Before you sign anything, start talking and do a little legwork.

Instructions

1

Talk to current residents of properties owned by your prospective landlord. People who have been directly affected by a landlord's negligence will not have nice things to say. Sometimes they remain in an apartment or house because they have no options, or have signed a lease pinning them to the property. Be friendly, but serious in your approach. You really do not want to move in to a place run by a landlord with a poor reputation. If everyone in the building raves about how courteous he is, how prompt he is to resolve maintenance concerns, or how he kindly negotiates through challenging times, you've probably found a decent landlord. If the building is run by on-site managers, you can discuss your concerns directly with them.

2

Contact the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and inquire about the history of an apartment complex or house that is listed under a particular real estate name. Find your local BBB through their website.

3

Visit your local police office and ask about any history of tenant disputes. or if the landlord has an arrested or domestic complaints recorded. If the police roll their eyes and say, "Oh, yeah, we get a lot of reports about that building," you can plan on looking elsewhere. Even if problems are not directly tied to the landlord, you may prefer to live where drama and danger don't routinely occur.

4

Contact local code enforcement officials or a county assessor. Landlords are expected to follow certain codes and building procedures and if the one in question has not met his responsibilities or other problems have occurred, you'll be glad you checked in advance.

5

Do an online search for the landlord's name. Weed through the thousands of pages that may come up, because there could be many people with the same name. Add specific search words such as the building name, address and city to help narrow your search. If you get 10 results that have specific information, such as articles about arrests, problems with the building in question and so forth, you can then investigate other options.

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