Coming across a tenant who is willing to offer you a sum higher than the asking monthly rent is what every landlord wishes to experience. However, considering the prevailing security issues in the country, you should no longer be comfortable with the idea of renting out your property to such a tenant.
Never before has Pakistan needed so desperately for all segments of its society to work together and make the country safer. The horrendous attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar and the prompt action taken by the authorities concerned now demand that each one of us does whatever possible to help our country against the menace of terrorism.
As the owner of a property, there are chances that you, unintentionally and unwittingly, may get involved in aiding these terrorist groups. Keeping the following checks in place can help you identify the possible threats lurking behind these seemingly benign tenants who are in ‘urgent need of accommodation’ and can thus pay a little higher.
1- Lease your house/apartment/portion through reliable agencies
2- Prefer renting your property to families
3- Get the tenants registered at your local police station
4- Make sure to get a copy of the tenants’ CNICs and other ID related documents and see originals
5- Verify these documents with NADRA
6- Report to the authorities any tenants looking to rent your property without the required ID documents and offering to pay extra as compensation for not being able to produce said documents
7- Monitor the activities of your tenants within reasonable limits
8- Frequent, shady and unidentified people visiting these tenants should be a cause for concern
9- Do not lease your property to foreigners without notifying your local police station, or to those from areas/cities/villages/districts that sound remote or possibly made-up
10- Inquire about the tenants’ previous address and how long lived there. Getting their reason for leaving that place can also be of help. (Courtesy Malik M. Qadeer)
Vigilance on our part is key, because there have been reports in the news media that terrorists are renting houses in upscale housing societies at exorbitant rates in order to establish safe-houses. So these are some of the basic pointers to consider while leasing your property these days. If you can add some more points to this, let me know through your comments and I will extend the list given in this article.
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Very important and timely advise for landlords. As a apartment building owner in New York City, when I select tenant I also ask about their previous address,how long lived there and reason for leaving. I think a detailed interview will also give you good idea.
Thank you Zameen.com for a great job. May Allah keep us protected.
Qadeer sahb, that’s a very good advice and a very effective tip for finding good tenant, thank you for sharing it with us.
I will update the list with this point included.