Honest question: Why? Though not of my choosing, I'm about to become a landlord. My house would be perfect for families with children. Why are they bad renters?
Children's actions are the unkown variable; you never know what kind of damage they could do to a house. Generally it would be marginal but there is a stigma when it comes to kids/pets for some people. I put kids and pets together bc many landlords view them as the same for risk factor. You can't get away with that in apartments bc it's obvious, but for small multifamily units and houses they do. It is illegal to discriminate against families with childrend under 18 so be careful how you go about your business.
The objective is to maximize rental income and put back a minimal amount for maintenance. Kids and pets can affect both the condition of the house and the quality of life for other tenants. Say goodbye to your nice shiny hardwood floors. Carpets will be stained. Markers to your walls. Dents to your stainless steel fridge. Flood your bathroom. And if it's a multi-family house, the kids will run and that annoys the tenant downstairs. Cats and dogs can be messy and not everyone likes animals. If your property is old, then it needs to be deleaded if young children are living there. That's a huge expense. If the child gets hurt, like falling out the window or rolling down the stairs, then you may be liable and have to install preventive contraptions. If you have to evict a tenant with children, you will be in for a fight. There are way too many people working the system. The law favors the renters. Good luck.
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I guess this comment seems innocuous or pragmatic to you, but it's basically how every single black ghetto in this entire country was created. Not to allege any intolerance on your part but you gotta think about what happens when eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeveryone who owns property thinks this way for 50-100 years.
That is interesting. What if there were multiple applicants? Could you then "discriminate" - all other factors being equal?
