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Property managers and landlords can learn something from realtors when it comes to showing properties. One of the first things realtors learn before ever showing a property to a prospect is how to be safe when doing so, remembering the old adage that “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
1. Do your due diligence and pre-screen prospective residents by asking a series of questions which will help in identifying them, their likelihood of being a good fit, and possibly their intent. Be sure to ask the same questions of every prospect. Such questions as their name, e-mail address, telephone number, approximate credit history, monthly income, employer and employer phone number are key and should be the first of a series of questions you ask. Be sure to ask if the call back number is their cell, home, or office. You can then visit one of the mobile phone reverse lookup sites to ascertain who the number belongs to. If the number doesn’t match the name given, be on alert that this person could be up to something. You should also be aware that people will often have mobile or home phones in a relative or spouse’s name, so don’t be too alarmed by this information alone.
Beyond simple safety, calling them the day before the appointment or the morning of to confirm the appointment can save you wasted time for no-shows, and verifies that they gave you an accurate phone number.
Asking other questions such as how soon they are looking to rent, the status of their current living situation, questions about any criminal history and more will help in determining how serious they are. Prospects who either aren’t that serious or who have something to hide will likely be annoyed with your questions and could even decide against viewing the property altogether. In those cases, mission accomplished; you’ve saved yourself the hassle of showing the property to an undesirable tenant. Criminals don’t like answering lots of questions, but be careful here of the smooth career criminal who is often prepared for just about anything.
2. Always let someone know when you’re planning to show your property. Ideal people are those who you are planning to see immediately after the showing, so that they will know right away that something is amiss if you don’t arrive on time. Spouses and coworkers are ideal for this, and don’t forget about the neighbors; having a neighbor or two on the lookout for you and your property makes for great security. Smartphone app Pinnum can make for a good safety protocol, by letting your colleagues or family members track your phone’s movement in real time. If you have an uneasy feeling about a particular prospect, you can even ask that your neighbor pop in during the showing to answer any questions the prospect may have about the neighborhood. Let the prospect know, “I asked the neighbor Bob to stop in just in case you have any questions he can help answer.”
3. Perhaps the most obvious, landlords should avoid showing property after sundown. Whenever possible during the fall and winter, schedule showing appointments during daylight hours, even if means only showing on weekends.
If you’ve been in the business for more than a week, you’re already aware you will encounter no-shows. Scheduling a couple of hours on the weekend to show properties can help you feel less frustrated when a prospect doesn’t show for an appt. It’s what professionals in the business refer to as ‘capturing two prospects (or more) with one appointment. Of course, the trick is to have each prospect believe it is his/her own unique appointment. A smart way of handling this is to do what many physicians and hair stylists do- schedule appointments every 20 minutes.
An added safety bonus to scheduling back-to-back appointments is the knowledge that there will always be someone on the way soon, just in case a prospect has less than good intentions. Be sure to inform all prospects of this. You never want to rush your prospects, but planting the seed that another prospect is scheduled to show up soon may not only ward off any ill intentions, but could also serve as a reminder to act quickly if they’re interested in applying.
4. Show up for the appointment early and take a walk around the entire property to ensure there have not been any broken windows or doors kicked in since your last visit. In rougher areas, or areas frequented by bored teenagers, it is not unusual to find broken windows and doors where they have let themselves in.
Also invest a little time to get to know your neighbors, if you don’t already. Most neighbors tend to have their own neighborhood watchdogs even when there is no formal group designated. Neighbors are often willing to report any strange happenings to you and can be on the lookout when they know you’re showing property.
5. Always enter after your prospects and stay behind them while they are viewing the home. A smart technique realtors often use when showing property is to allow prospects to browse upstairs alone, for vacant rental units (if the prior tenant is still living in the home you should accompany all prospects to protect tenants’ belongings and privacy). But if vacant, you can say, “I’ll wait down here and return a call quickly while you take your time looking around upstairs.” This works like a charm and the prospect is not offended.
These safety tips are in no way an exhaustive lists of things you can do to ensure your safety when showing your rental properties; and while it is likely you will never encounter truly dangerous situations, remember an old piece of folk wisdom: It is better to have and not need, than to need and not have.
What safety measures do you have in place when showing your properties? What would you add to the list?
Related Reading:
Should Landlords Impose Gun Restrictions on their Tenants? Can They?
Why P.O. Boxes Are a Landlord’s Best Friend
Advertising for Tenants & Showing the Rental Unit
