Lots of lessons to be learned here. The main one is that many people too casually decide to become landlords. They fail to recognize that there is a true learning curve involved, and the lessons are absorbed by trial and error–meaning that they are expensive. By the time you get to your 4th rental house you’ll be good at it.
Phone calls to previous landlords probably would have sent up red flags, as would a detailed credit report. The professional tenants often look better at first than honest people that are better risks. You need to scrutinize the application, or better yet hand the task over to a squinty-eyed, suspicious, experienced landlord friend. Another hint, show up at their current residence to ask for some more details to “complete” their application, all the while looking to decide if you want to have them as tenants.
