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

In Riverwood, our management staff prefers to deal with dependable renters. Here are some of the traits we look for.

1. A renter pays the rent on time every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
2. A renter is trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A tenant is reasonably clean. A tenant does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not misuse the property.
5. A tenant is courteous and nice to get along with. A renter knows 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 landlords 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 renter 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 renter does not smoke in the property.
10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the property owner wants to rent the property.

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