[Rick Lee]

Got a vacancy coming up and so the Craigslist ad has been getting a lot of response. One lady who checked the place out yesterday is a year out of BK. She did BK because her mortgage servicer would not agree to a short sale on her previous house, which she bought at the peak of the market and then had to move to be closer to her job and for her kid's school. Lawyer told her BK was the only way out of that house. This part of the story sounds pretty believable to me. But she said she makes $90-100k and has been late on rent twice in the last year, most recently last month. I admire her candor, but this late rent story, especially considering her income, worries me more than the BK. Though the BK also worries me, since I'd pretty much not be able to use dinging her credit as any incentive for her to pay up, if it ever came to that.

Since I'm in AZ and can't meet this lady, I'm totally dependent on her word. Obviously, her credit is shot. How to you rent to someone just out of BK? Collect several mos. rent upfront? Special lease conditions? I'm not set on doing this, as others are still checking out my place, but she's the first one who's said she wants it.