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

In Munsons3rd_Add_A, our management staff likes to work with reliable renters. 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 tenant is honest. A tenant does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A renter is neat. A tenant does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not damage the property or its systems.
5. A renter 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 bother neighbors.
7. A tenant complains at appropriate times. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't ask 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 renter doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
9. A tenant does not smoke in the property.
10. A renter is looking for a rental term that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the home.

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