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

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

1. A tenant pays the rent on time 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 reasonably clean. A tenant does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not overwork the home.
5. A renter is courteous and nice to get along with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't annoy neighbors.
7. A tenant complains when appropriate. tenants 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 tenant 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 tenant does not smoke in the property.
10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the landlord wants to rent the rental.

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