Potential tenant do I need to be wary advice needed.

[Dreamingofsea]

Advice needed. I m advertising a studio in London on open rent. Got a reply from a man that offered 6 month s upfront (I know - alarm bells going off). I joked he s either growing weed or can t get references. He says he can t find any studio s in London (big shortage) near where he is working that s all. Anyway I said I d do a viewing and meet him. He doesn’t want to meet me he s too busy working, but just wants to take flat from pictures on internet. I said I needed to meet him. He s filling out reference forms and is so pushy. If they are ok is he top of list he asks, can we just sign etc etc. Of course I m not going to agree to anything without full refs and a meeting but what does everyone else feel. Dodgy or desperate?

[Hudson01]

To be honest if you read through what you have written and it was from someone else......... you would be telling them to run a mile. Take the advice and call it a day with this chap. Move on and do not waste any more time.

[royw]

Dodgy. If he was desperate he'd view it.

[Dreamingofsea]

Thanks guys - Hudson I agree and Royw - interesting you think dodgy. I just got his address through it’s a hotel. Who lives in a hotel? I m thinking he s been evicted and has no where to live. Anyway thanks it’s a definite no.

[ash72]

Always rely on your instincts, if it doesn't sound good, walk away, the property may be on the market slightly longer, but better that then the headache of evicting someone. 1. I do pre-screening interview, 2. I meet the person who will be living there, if they don't want to I reject them 3. if any of the pre-screening information results in a lie, I reject them when the references come back.

[DoricPixie]

I suppose he could have recently moved to London for work which is why he’s currently residing in a hotel but his pushiness and refusal to meet are red flags.

[Goobs27]

Agreed, sounds very suspicious. A studio flat is not ideal for growing illegal substances but you will need to check he has the right to rent anyway and a face to face meeting to check his documents is the easiest way. RTR checks can be done electronically with a share code but that code brings up a picture of someone and if you have not met him you have no way of knowing they are the same person.

[jpkeates]

Not wanting to meet is enough of a red flag on its own.

[Another Fine Mess]

Why dont you as a large letting agent in the area for an estimate as to how much they would list the property for, you could get more than you have advertised it for.

[May18]

When taking on any new tenants I always remind myself that by accepting this person as tenant I am inviting them in my life for long term so I always ask my self a question if this person is someone I am happy to invite in my life. We meet all our potential tenant candidates twice or sometimes even 3 times before the tenancy agreement is sent out. You can also do an online video call as one option.

[Dreamingofsea]

Thanks everyone for their input. I told him early this morning that I wasn t going to proceed to references. He is pushy he wanted to know why which I thought he would. I told him the truth which is there is no way I would give him the studio even with good refs (and 6 months rent in advance) without meeting him. He s got an English name which is why I didn t think he was living in a hotel because he is illegal or an asylum seeker. I think perhaps he s been evicted and has no where to live, there s no social housing. In those circumstances he will fake his references and right now it’s not worth me double checking by phoning land registry etc. etc. I can easily find a legitimate regular good tenant for this studio.