Landlords fear nonpayment of rent, significant property damage, and legal issues (such as costly, drawn-out evictions) the most, as these directly threaten their financial stability. These top concerns can lead to negative cash flow, high repair costs, and long-term, stressful legal battles.
Never tell a new landlord you hate your former landlord, or the maintenance staff, leasing office staff, or anyone else—even if they're the slummiest slumlords who ever existed. You could have the best reason in the world for finally ditching that horrible apartment, but a new landlord won't know if that's true.
The most common reasons for eviction are nonpayment of rent, followed by lease violations (like unauthorized pets, subletting, or property damage) and lease expiration, where a landlord chooses not to renew. Other frequent causes include engaging in illegal activities, creating a nuisance, or violating health/safety rules, but all evictions must legally follow strict state and local laws, often requiring a court order.
If you're getting ready to apply for a new apartment, one of the first things a landlord may check is your rental history. Similar to a credit report, it helps them assess your reliability as a tenant.
Those Living with Children are at the Highest Risk of Eviction. Households that include children are filed against for eviction at high rates. Indeed, the eviction filing rate for adults living with a child was 10.4%, over double the risk for adults living without children (5.0%).
In America, evictions are a common occurrence among renters, and they are particularly likely to happen to women, persons of color, and families with young children [1].
Renting Mistake #1: Not reading the lease carefully.
Like any financial transaction, the details can be a killer. In this case, your lease will include much important information, or details that will affect your overall cost. The lease will specify if you have to pay your own electricity, gas and water bills.
A good tenant has a good credit report, with a sufficient income to afford every month's rent. This includes a history of timely payments, effective debt management, and maintaining a good credit score. A clean credit history shows a resident's capacity to meet financial responsibilities.
Here's a list of seven symptoms that call for attention.
Landlord Red Flags
If you want to evict a tenant, you must issue them with a 'Notice to Leave' and at least one of the 18 grounds for eviction must apply. That means you can't ask a tenant to leave without a legally valid reason. - At least 84 days' notice if they've lived in the property for more than six months.
Most residential leases include a clause stating that the tenant must keep the property clean and sanitary. If a tenant fails to do so, the landlord may have cause to evict him.
What States Have the Highest Eviction Rates?
The most common reasons for eviction are nonpayment of rent, followed by lease violations (like unauthorized pets, subletting, or property damage) and lease expiration, where a landlord chooses not to renew. Other frequent causes include engaging in illegal activities, creating a nuisance, or violating health/safety rules, but all evictions must legally follow strict state and local laws, often requiring a court order.
Especially since nearly all landlords (83 percent) have an attorney in eviction court, it's no surprise that tenants rarely win their cases.
A strong rental history is a good indicator of a reliable tenant, but gaps or past evictions could signal a problem. Watch for these red flags: Frequent moves within short periods may signal lease violations or non-payment issues. Eviction records or outstanding rental debts with previous landlords.
For example, a landlord who asks for 3 months' bank statements for renting wants to see steady deposits like paychecks rather than irregular or absent income. This helps landlords confirm if you have a consistent cash flow to pay rent on time.
Some information you can find on a prospective tenant's credit report includes: