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

In Waterford, our management staff prefers to deal with dependable tenants. Here are some of the traits we expect.

1. A renter pays the rent when due every month. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
2. A renter has integrity. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A renter is fastidious. A renter does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not overwork systems.
5. A tenant is courteous and nice to work with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't annoy neighbors.
7. A renter reports problems at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause issues for property managers.
8. A renter doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't demand to upgrade functioning systems. A tenant doesn't expect more than the lease provides. A tenant 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 property.
10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the owner wants to rent the home.

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