Tenant Screening: You Can’t Fix a Bad Tenant Easily After They Move In
I’ve been screening tenants in New Orleans for over forty years. In that time I’ve seen every kind of applicant — the ones who look perfect on paper and destroy a property in six months, and the ones with a blemish or two in their history who end up being the most reliable tenants a landlord ever had.
The difference is judgment. And judgment comes from experience, not a checklist.
That said, you still need the checklist.
What We Actually Do
Every applicant goes through a full credit report and a full background check. No exceptions. No shortcuts for applicants who seem nice or who have a good story. We’ve heard every story.
But here’s what separates us from a property manager who just runs a report and calls it done: we read the results. We look at payment history, not just the score. We look at what the background check actually says, not just whether there’s a flag. And then we make a judgment call — the kind that forty years in this market gives you the right to make.
“You cannot fix a bad tenant after they move in. You can only fix the screening process that let them through.”
What We Look For
- Credit history — patterns of payment behavior, not just a number
- Rental history — did they leave previous landlords whole?
- Employment and income verification — can they actually afford this property?
- Criminal background — with attention to what’s relevant to tenancy
- Eviction history — this one tells you a lot more than people realize
- References — we call them, and we know what questions to ask
Why This Matters More in New Orleans
New Orleans has one of the most tenant-friendly legal environments in Louisiana. Once a bad tenant is in your property, removing them is a time-consuming, expensive process that requires navigating a court system that does not always cooperate quickly. The best eviction is the one you never have to file because you screened properly at the beginning.
Every dollar spent on rigorous screening saves you ten on the back end. We’ve seen owners lose months of rent, thousands in damage, and years of frustration because someone ran a basic check and said they seemed fine.
They didn’t seem fine to us. But nobody asked.
Our Standard
We don’t place tenants we wouldn’t feel comfortable defending to you. If we have doubts, we tell you. If the numbers don’t work, we say so. And if an applicant doesn’t meet our standard, we move on — regardless of how eager they are to sign.
One bad placement costs more than a year of management fees. We get it right before the keys change hands.
Ready to talk about your property? Call David directly at 504-232-1672.