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Initially, I used Facebook for its original purpose: befriending as many people as possible to boost my social status, and, of course, “poking” attractive local women, hoping to be poked back.
While that’s still a priority, I’ve also started using it for more practical reasons. For instance, it’s become one of my methods for referencing prospective tenants.
Needless to say, it’s pretty easy to track down prospective tenants on Facebook if you have their full name or email address. Nine times out of ten, you’ll get a hit.
Why Referencing Prospective Tenants via Facebook Is Useful for Landlords
Social Connections
Just last week, I successfully found an applicant on Facebook. It turned out we had mutual friends, and I actually knew one of them quite well. Naturally, I reached out for a character reference. You can’t beat a reference from someone you know and trust.
The property I’m marketing is in a small local town (population around 80,000), so connections like this aren’t uncommon.
A Glimpse Into Their Lifestyle
If a Facebook account isn’t locked down with privacy settings, you can often view their photos. And if that’s the case, I’ll usually take a look. I browse through their pictures and make some early judgments based on their social circles, lifestyle, and general behaviour.
Ignorant and judgmental? Yeah, maybe.
But wouldn’t you judge if your prospective tenant had photos like this…?
Page Likes and Group Memberships Can Reveal a Lot
Most Facebook users follow certain groups or pages. Depending on their privacy settings, you can often see which ones they’re associated with. It’s worth paying attention to this, as it can give insight into their interests, values, or affiliations (which may or may not align with what you’re comfortable with as a landlord).
So next time someone applies to be your tenant, see if you can track them down on Facebook, you might get a closer look at their life beyond the application form.
Word of warning, though: this works both ways. Tenants can just as easily look you up. If some of my prospective tenants ever saw my Facebook profile, they’d probably think twice about applying…
Landlord out xo
Disclaimer: I'm just a landlord blogger; I'm 100% not qualified to give legal or financial advice. I'm a doofus. Any information I share is my unqualified opinion, and should never be construed as professional legal or financial advice. You should definitely get advice from a qualified professional for any legal or financial matters. For more information, please read my full disclaimer.
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