Does the “Rental Bible” Say That Evictions are the Unforgiveable Sin?

 

“…but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

Mark 3:29

 

“Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.”

Proverbs 22:26-27

 

Evictions are bad to have on the credit report in the rental home game; I won’t try to gloss over that fact!  There is a reason that they are asked about on every rental application worth its salt.  Landlords do not like to see a prior eviction come up on a prospective tenant’s dossier because it means that things got about as bad as they could get with the tenant’s former landlord.  It typically means that the tenant did not pay, did something really against the rules, and/or would not move out of the house.  No landlord wants to have a repeat performance; it’s a major red flag!  We like peaceful, nice relationships…

 

Now, there are two sides to every story.  The narratives that previously evicted tenants will tell are typically less confrontational:

 

My mom got really sick so I moved out of my place and into hers to help her.  My roommate at the time stopped paying rent and my name was still on the lease so it happened.

 

I’ve never lived at that residence in my life!  I have no idea what you’re talking about!

 

COVID happened.  Enough said.

 

I co-signed a lease for my friend so he could get into the property.  I guess he didn’t pay.  I’ll need to ask him about that.

(Free advice: Please don’t co-sign for someone else.  There is a reason they couldn’t get approved on their own.  The Bible even cautions against it (see above)!)

 

It’s always some combination of best intentions paved with unforeseen adversity.  And I don’t doubt that at all.  But life is life and stuff happens and will happen again.  Landlords just don’t want it to happen on their watch.

 

When a tenant doesn’t pay or follow the rules of the lease, experienced landlords will try to communicate and work with the tenant to get things in compliance.  There is often give-and-take and patience required to right the ship.  But sometimes the tenant either cannot or will not do what they signed up to do.  When backed into this corner, there is one nuclear bomb that a property manager has- filing for eviction.  And this bomb is not free.  It takes a lot of human resources to see it through, it costs the owner money while rent is not coming in (cash flow double-whammy), and (when vacated) the rental house is usually left in deplorable condition.  It’s the downside of real estate investment.

 

So when a prospective tenant claims that a landlord filed for eviction “by mistake” or “on the 2^nd day of the month after I left for vacation when the check was still in the mail”, I’m skeptical.  Filing for eviction is a last resort and one most landlords would not take lightly.  The costs are just too high. 

 

A “successful” eviction typically means that every rock was turned over, every resource for payment exhausted, and nothing could be settled outside of the courtroom.  That’s not a good reference for a renter coming in.

 

So, is eviction the unforgiveable sin?  Is it an automatic rental application denial?

 

It really can’t be.  No matter how draconian the landlord, saying that a human being isn’t worthy of having a place to live is a tough line.  Bad things do happen to good people.  And many people use these awful experiences to change for the better.  We all learn from struggles and hard times and need another chance.

 

However, we do say that not disclosing an eviction filing on the rental application when asked is an unforgiveable sin.  If we don’t start from a position of honesty, I don’t think differences can be bridged to make a tenancy palatable.

 

To determine whether a previously evicted tenant has a path for approval, we try to focus more on the numbers and less on the story.  The stories are usually compelling, but what do the facts look like?  We try to investigate:

 

What does their current debt level look like?

What is the length of the current employment and its real income?

How long ago was the past eviction?

What do prior (non-evicting) landlords say?

Why are things different now?

How much cash do they have on hand to put down to mitigate risk?

 

So, no, the “Rental Bible” does not say that eviction is the unforgiveable sin.  But it is a very real red flag!  Prudent landlords will need to put in the research to determine if it is likely to reoccur in their rental homes.

 

Happy Landlording!