Specific Client Types III

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CLIENT TYPES (3 of 4)

This is the third of four lessons looking at specific types of clients who will need a slightly different touch. The client types which will be covered in this topic are:

  • Emergency Mover
  • First-Time Renter
  • Government-Assisted

Emergency Mover

Some of our clients will wait until the last minute to find a place. Most of the time, these customers will have just a couple weeks to move. To service them, you must set their expectations from the beginning. The customer will need to know that you will need at least 2 weeks to find them a place. Based on our experience, the more viewings the customer is available to attend, the faster you will find them a suitable rental. Please follow the requirements customers must meet in order to be serviced as an “Emergency Mover”.

  1. Customer must have decent credit (650-800+). This applies to all adults moving in.
  2. Clean Rental History - no evictions, bankruptcies, foreclosures, or judgments
  3. Customer must have total move-in price ready - first month's rent and last month's rent, plus any other deposits
  4. Good renter history - no first-time movers
  5. Available for viewing daily
  6. Have an open line of communication

 

If a client meets the qualifications, you’ll need to send customer two daily emails and book a minimum of two appointments per day. This will allow them to view at least 10 places in a week. At this point, most clients will choose a couple of places that work for them. You will need to expedite the application process by having applications ready in advance for all scheduled viewings.

First-Time Renter

Some of our clients are first-time renters. Usually, first-time renters are very young adults. They have a hard time finding places, because they don’t have any rental history stating they’re able to pay rent. Before servicing a first-time renter, they must meet the requirements below.

First-time renter requirements:

  1. Minimum 550 credit score - this is the usual minimum score requested by leasing agent
  2. Must be employed with at least 1yr experience, unless renter will be using a cosigner
  3. Income needs to be 3.5 times the monthly rent
  4. Has a cosigner – cosigner must have exceptional credit and make 7x times the rent amount

Government-Assisted

Government assisted housing is a program geared to help people with low income. When assisting these clients, please ask customer questions below. Not many places participate with government assistance programs. Most clients know that their options will be limited, but some assume that you can find them something in the suburbs. Setting the customer’s expectations is necessary from the beginning, as the customer needs to know that most of the places you’ll find will not be in the most desirable areas. For clients who understand, you can begin to reach out to managers for each place that is within the client's voucher amount to see if they participate in the program your client is in. You will email the client a list of all the places participating in their program. Since there is a lack of options available, appointments must be made ASAP.

Information Necessary for Servicing Clients Needing Government Assistance:

  1. What type of voucher does customer have?
  2. How many bedrooms will the voucher cover?
  3. What county is the voucher for? – voucher must match county for approval
  4. What’s the voucher amount? – monthly rent cannot exceed voucher amount
  5. Is customer currently employed? – if yes, find out household monthly income
  6. Current credit score – will not be a major factor if the score is poor
  7. Does customer have any evictions? – an eviction less than 7yrs old will disqualify customer

Some Government Rental Assistance Programs

 

  • HUD Resource Locator - search for HUD field and regional offices, local PHAs (Public Housing Agencies), Multifamily and Public Housing locations, homeless coordinated entry system points of contact, and USDA rural housing.
  • Privately owned subsidized housing - HUD helps apartment owners offer reduced rents to low- income tenants. Search for an apartment and apply directly at the management office.

 

  • Public Housing - affordable apartments for low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.