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

In Ballston_towne_west, our management staff prefers to deal with reliable renters. Here are some of the traits we seek out.

1. A tenant 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 renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A renter is fussy about cleanliness. A tenant does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not damage the property.
5. A renter is courteous and easy to work with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't bother neighbors.
7. A tenant complains when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause head-aches for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't complain 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 renter 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 rental.
10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the property owner wants to rent the home.

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