Renting My Truck Camper
Hey guys so im wondering , do any of you rent out your TC? Ive been living full time in my camper for the last 7 months or so, its been really fun but im looking into other options as far as off grid...
Forum Discussion
mkirsch wrote:RetiredRealtorRick wrote:toedtoes wrote:
Expecting a specific behavior out of people due to their career choice is a guaranteed disaster.
Ask for references, including current and past landlords, and base your choices on actual past behavior.
Sounds like a response from someone who has never been deeply involved in the rental industry. Understandable.
You don't even have to be involved in the rental industry to know how meaningless references can be. I've lost count of the number of people my company has hired based on GLOWING references only to find out how worthless and clueless they really are.
There is a way to utilize references. First, you ask the prospective renter specific questions regarding their prior renting. Questions like: have you ever had a structural/plumbing/electrical problem while renting? If so, what location and how did you handle it? Have you ever failed to pay rent on time? If so, what were the circumstances? Then, you call the landlord for that property and ask if that is what happened. This lets the landlord discuss a specific incident rather than just being asked to give an opinion. Most landlords, and employers, hesitate to make general comments about someone - sometimes because they don't to be mean, but more often because they don't want to get into a case of slander. By focusing on a specific incident, the risk of slander is very much minimized. It also allows you to catch the potential renter in a lie - after which you can remove them from the running.
And for as bad as a reference may be, using career choice as a factor is even more useless.
The military itself has slightly better odds because of the "control" a commanding officer has on their subordinates. But that is not a guarantee - military personnal can and do make bad renters and their behaviors are not always corrected.
As for any other career, there is no "this is a good career to which to rent" or "this is a bad career to which to rent". Lawyer A may be a horrid tenant, Lawyer B may be a great tenant. Musician F may be a great tentant, Musician L may be a great tenant.
