Vetting Tenants — How we protect the landlord’s interests.

In Old Town Commons, our management staff prefers to work with reasonable renters. Here are some of the traits we seek out.

1. A renter pays the rent on time every month. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
2. A renter is trustworthy. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A tenant is reasonably clean. A renter does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not destroy the property or its systems.
5. A renter is courteous and nice to get along with. A renter understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't disturb neighbors.
7. A tenant reports problems at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause head-aches for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't ask to replace functioning systems. A renter doesn't expect more than the lease provides. A renter doesn't complain that an appliance doesn't work when the tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
9. A renter does not smoke in the home.
10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the property owner wants to rent the rental.

So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find tenants who live up to this ideal? Experience has taught us that bad renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out bad renters.