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

In McLean, our team wants to deal with good tenants. Here are some of the traits we seek out.

1. A tenant 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 tenant is honest. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A tenant is fastidious. A tenant does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not overwork systems.
5. A renter is courteous and pleasant to work with. A renter understands 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 landlords money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A renter doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't demand to replace functioning systems. A renter doesn't expect more than the lease provides. A renter doesn't complain that an appliance doesn't work when the tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
9. A tenant does not smoke in the home.
10. A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the landlord wants to rent the home.

So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find tenants who measure 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 unreasonable renters.