Our tenant screening process is pretty unique, as the host/tenant relationship and application processes are both very different to a traditional rental scenario.
In a traditional rental, the landlord often has little or no say in the tenant selected, and does not have the opportunity to meet applicants in person prior to leases being signed. The transaction is very much at arm's length.
With a Tiny House land rental situation, in most cases the host is renting out part of their primary family residential property. Hosts and tenants interact one on one.
Often, the tenant will help out around the property occasionally by watering plants, bringing in the bin, or walking the dog should the host go away for any length of time. There's a rapport and sometimes friendship built between both parties.
As such, it's super important our hosts meet any prospective tenants in person, prior to proceeding to a lease agreement. This is an important part of our tenant application process.
Our tenants also pay a small monthly fee, currently $15, to access all our available listings. We find that this in itself screens out the type of people who would otherwise respond to Facebook or marketplace posts offering land, and attempt to take advantage.
We also have a dedicated Member Support Manager, Carolyn, who communicates heavily with our members through both email and phone calls during the application process.
Having this touchpoint helps screen for potential red flags. We also ask for photographic proof that they do in fact own a Tiny House, or can show us their build contract, so your time is not wasted on a person who's not in a position to take up your listing right away.
We’ve found that having a facilitator acting for the interests of both parties adds a level of accountability that mitigates any potential issues with your future tenants.
At this stage, we don’t undertake a police check or working with children check for our tenants. It is at our host's discretion should they feel more comfortable asking for these prior to accepting a candidate. Should you prefer this option, we are happy to add a clause to your listing stating these will be required by the host.
In almost two years of operation, only two of our hosts have requested this be done, in both cases due to the host family being foster parents, and this being a requirement of the foster care system.
It should be noted, though, that in almost two years of operation, we have an unblemished record of successful and happy hosts. We have not received a single tenant complaint from any of our 100+ hosts.
I feel this is partly due to the tenant application process we follow, but also because Tiny House tenants are an entirely different category of people from tenants in regular rental situations.
Having been both of those myself, and having now worked with thousands of Tiny House folk, I can tell you that most of us consciously choose this lifestyle for the peace, security, sustainability and simplicity it offers.
Given that there are far more tenants looking for land via our platform (200-250 on average) compared to hosts offering land (between 50-60 listings), there is a definite sense of gratitude amongst tenants for their hosts. Tenants are fully aware that land rentals are hard to find, and they would likely have trouble relocating should the arrangement not work out.
For this reason, they tend to do everything they can to ensure that as a host, you are more than happy with the arrangement. Our tenants are predominantly looking for long term security, and would not jeopardise that with foolish behaviour.
We are extremely proud of our success rate in not only providing genuine, quality tenants, but also in creating a secure, long term income stream for our amazing hosts.
If you’re ready to join the hundreds of happy hosts making $8,000+ a year while helping put a roof over a family’s head, apply now here.
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