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

In Chain_bridge_forest, Nesbitt Realty likes to work with good tenants. Here are a few of the traits we seek out.

1. A renter pays the rent when due every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
2. A renter is honest. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A tenant is reasonably clean. A tenant does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not destroy the property or its systems.
5. A tenant is courteous and easy to get along with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't bother neighbors.
7. A tenant complains at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't demand to replace 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 rental.
10. A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the home.

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