Landlords screening tenants to weed out bad apples
‘If landlords have any power in this area, then we are not going to rent to criminals.’ — David Lewis Bath Area Landlord Association
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

PHOTO BY ROB PRICE Bath landlord David Lewis encourages fellow members of the Bath Area Landlord Association to screen prospective tenants for possible criminal backgrounds.

BATH — When Bath native David Lewis began renting apartments in the village more than 10 years ago, the typical tenant was a person he either knew or the relative of an acquaintance.

“In 1995,” he recalls, “a prospective tenant would tell you, ‘I grew up in Avoca,’ and the landlord would know a family member.”

Since those days, the business of renting apartments in central Steuben County has changed radically, characterized by an influx of new residents with little or no connection to the region.

“Applicants aren’t from this area,” Lewis says. “You have to start them at McDonalds and give them detailed directions to the apartment.”

The wave of out-of-area tenants has carried a riptide of economic and social problems: Damaged apartments, missed rent payments, possible drug activity. The rent-related problems in turn fed numerous residents’ complaints to local government officials, including the Bath Police Department.

It was time, Lewis decided, for local landlords like himself to get involved in a solution.

To that end, Lewis helped formed the Bath Area Landlord Association, aided by representatives from the police department, S t e u b e n Churchpeople Against Poverty and Bath Neighborhood Watch. Starting out with fewer than 10 members, the Association last month drew more than 25 local landlords to its meeting at Lakeview Apartments. Members are exploring a variety of ways to screen prospective tenants, including credit and background checks.

According to Lewis and Bath Police Chief David Rouse, their efforts are paying off – particularly through the use of police inquiries to determine whether a record exists of criminal activity or neighbors’ complaints.

“We have a lot of work to do, but these background checks are a start,” Lewis says.

The checks provide a documented history that would not likely arise on an application form. Lewis cites one recent background check that turned up a significant history of criminal activity for a prospective tenant. “He interviewed well.” Lewis recalls. “But the stack (of criminal records) was so thick, it had to be stapled three times because the first staples didn’t get the job done.”

According to Rouse, the growing number of requests for background checks is paying off in terms of a decreased potential for drug deals in the village.

“The ability for individuals to sell drugs or engage in illegal activity on rental property is being significantly reduced,” the police chief said recently. “This is a win-win for everyone — the community, the landlords and the police department.”

Formation of the Landlord Association has occurred as Bath residents have turned a sharp eye on criminal activity in the central business district and adjacent neighborhoods. Last week, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa visited the village, invited by a resident interested in forming a local Guardian Angels chapter to combat crime.

Both Rouse and Lewis welcome the interest. They also point to local efforts such as the Landlord Association and Neighborhood Watch as examples of a residential response to criminal activity. The police department, Rouse notes, is working closely with the Landlord Association and also recently reorganized to beef up its investigative capacity.

Such efforts are part of the changing world in which landlords have to do business, according to Lewis. “Fifteen years ago, if you were having problems with a tenant, you could’ve gone to (their) grandma and she would have run them out for us,” he says. “It was easier to make a few phone calls, or just interview people, and you felt the information was true. The tide has changed for Bath.”

Conducting background checks is a simple way for landlords to protect their investment in local real estate, he adds. Beyond that, it’s an easy way for local landlords to support their own community.

“This is our community,” Lewis says. “I plan to live here my entire life. If landlords have any power in this area, then we are not going to rent to criminals.”