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

In Village_at_shirlington, our team wants to work with good renters. Here are some of the traits we seek out.

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 has integrity. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A tenant is reasonably clean. A renter does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not damage the property.
5. A tenant is courteous and nice 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. 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 tenant does not smoke in the home.
10. A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the landlord wants to rent the property.

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 bad renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out unreasonable tenants.