Property Management 101 – How To Spot Fake Pay Stubs
During the tenant screening process, you’re going to want to ask prospective tenants for paycheck stub to prove that they meet the income qualifications to rent your property.
Sadly, in today’s world, it’s easy for many people to use technology to create paycheck stubs that look authentic but once they are analyzed, it’s easy to see that those paycheck stubs are not real.
Thankfully, in this article, you will learn more about how to spot fake paycheck stubs so that you only place the most qualified tenant in your property every time.
Tips For Spotting A Fake Paycheck Stub
- Lack of professionalism
Look to see if the check stub appears professional. It’s rare for a real company to produce unprofessional documents that look fuzzy, contain spelling errors, or use strange fonts. Also, ensure that all the characters and decimal points are evenly lined up. A doctored pay stub could have text or figures that seem out of line with the rest of the information.
- Round numbers
Are the applicant’s monthly earnings perfectly rounded to the nearest thousand? On the face of it, there may seem little difference between earning $3,000 and $2996.30. However, which figure seems more realistic? People rarely take home paychecks with a round number.
- Letters instead of numbers
It’s not uncommon for counterfeit paycheck stubs to use a capital O in place of a zero. The difference may be subtle, but it could be a sign that the stub is fake.
- Fake stubs usually have inconsistencies
Legitimate pay stubs always contain consistent information. Check that all personal information—name, address, and social security number—matches other official documents the tenant provides. There also may be information listed in multiple places. It’s vital to ensure it all matches up.
- The figures don’t add up
If you have suspicions about a counterfeit check stub, do the math to see if the figures match up. It should be easy to calculate earnings and deductions. However, if there are miscalculations, it could be a red flag.
Contact Rent Portland Homes – Professionals
At Rent Portland Homes – Professionals, we specialize in local property management for single-family and multifamily properties.
It doesn’t matter if you live in the PDX area, Washington, or elsewhere across the country, we can save you the hassle of managing your rentals yourself.
For more information about the property management services that we can offer you, contact us today by calling (503) 447-7735 or click here to connect with us online.
