I have written about screening your tenants and tenant application red flags.  I have even written about screening your tenants using MySpace.  Generally, if a tenant is going to be a problem, they have some history of being problems.  When I wrote “Once a Bad Tenant, Always a Bad Tenant“, I was mostly talking about payment history.

I recently had an interesting situation with a tenant in one of my duplexes.  She is a single mom, very well spoken.  Her rental application was pretty clean except for a 5th degree misdemeanor from 4 years ago.  She has lived in the apartment for about 9 months.  Whenever I have stopped over, the place is clean.  Her previous landlords gave her a decent referral.

She did have some problems paying rent about 3 months ago and after I filed the eviction, she promptly found emergency assistance to pay her past due rent.  Despite that, there have been no complaints from the neighbors below her or the homeowners on either side, until now.

This weekend, I received an email from a neighbor with whom I have built a strong relationship.  She is motivated to keep her neighborhood safe, but also understands that it is better to work with me initially, than to just call the police.  She said that recently this tenant  “is showing all the signs of criminal activity”.  The neighbor went on to document multiple visits per day of a few minutes by differing men in fancy tricked out cars.  The neighbor is suspecting drug activity.

By having this good working relationship with this neighbor, it allows me to address the situation immediately.  I can demonstrate that I am good landlord and want to be a good neighbor.  Alternatively, if she had not contacted me, I could have a powder keg on my hands that would blow up with the police getting involved and my rental license in jeopardy.

I will be stopping by this apartment and discussing the situation with the tenant.  I will tell them that I received calls from the police and neighbors (never divulging who told me).  While I am not naive enough to believe that this will instantly cure the problem or that the tenant will openly admit to dealing drugs, I have always found that talking with the tenant will reduce the problem in the immediate future.  When they know they are being watched and the heat is on, the dealers will usually find an easier place to work.

I encourage you to know who the neighbors of your rental properties are.  Give them your phone number.  Ask them to report anything suspicious.  With all of us working together, we can keep the problems out of the neighborhood.