background check as part of their Credit Check service to ensure that your tenant is legal , honest and reliable .
General behaviour : Trust your intuition . Often there are red flags from the very first engagement with a tenant that shouldn ’ t be ignored . It should be a warning flag if the potential tenant is hard to reach or extremely difficult and demanding for no apparent reason . This is another reason why it ’ s important to use a rental agent whose judgement you can trust .
Q3 . How do you ensure a good tenant-landlord relationship ? Always communicate : In cases where the tenant already occupies the property , be sure to communicate and put everything in writing . Remain calm and rational should something go wrong and seek advice from estate agents and lawyers . Don ’ t be fooled by fast cash : Don ’ t fall into the trap of accepting a large sum of cash upfront in lieu of regular rental payments . Just because they have the money now , doesn ’ t mean they ’ ll have it in four month ’ s time when the next payment is due .
Don ’ t rush : In cases where the tenant is dragging their feet about signing the rental agreement , don ’ t lose hope yet . Try your best to clearly communicate , perform all the necessary checks , answer any questions they may have and spend a few days mulling over your decision before jumping into a lease agreement .
Trust your gut : Much like any relationship , if something feels off when you ’ re engaging with a prospective tenant , trust your first instincts . Paperwork can be forged , but your intuition is rarely wrong .
Q4 . On what grounds can a landlord legally deny a potential tenant ' s application ? It is both illegal and immoral for a landlord to discriminate against a potential or existing tenant based on their race , gender , sexual orientation , religion and gender . However , a landlord can deny an tenant ’ s application based on the following criteria ;
• The number of occupants ( if the property is not suitable for a certain number of people or children )
• Allowance of pets ( either by the landlords decree or sectional title / homeowners association rules )
50 APRIL 2022 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine