The prospective tenant for our basement did not check out. Much of the information she provided proved to be incorrect, an exaggeration, or a downright lie.

For one, she stated that she was currently the manager of a local bargain store. Well, this was partly true, however the store has not opened yet, so in the meantime she is still unemployed, making less in a month than we would charge for rent.
Two, she stated that she was single, and that her friend was sharing a space with her temporarily. This person turned out to be her same sex partner, who would most likely be a permanent occupant. . Neither Melanie nor I have any problems with her being a lesbian…we have no prejudice against that, however the fact she would lie about raised warning flags.
Three, it turns out she still owes her current landlord a wack of cash, and has not been returning his phonecalls (it turns out that Bob, our agent and my second cousin, is a friend of her landlord). Theory is, if she did it to him, then what stops her from doing it to us.
Having Bob handling the frontend aspects of the tenant search is being a blessing. He is far more experienced than us when it comes to what to look for and what questions to ask, and I highly appreciate his services. So, there is a good chance we won’t have a tenant right away…but that’s ok. It’s not like we are desperate for the money, it would just be an extra bonus having the extra income. Time will tell, and taking the time to find the right tenant is going to work out better for us in the longrun.