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

In Stratford, our team likes to work with reasonable renters. Here are some of the traits we seek out.

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 tenant is honest. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A renter is reasonably clean. A renter does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not destroy systems.
5. A tenant is courteous and nice to work with. A renter understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't disturb neighbors.
7. A renter complains at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause issues for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant 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 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 rental term that is as long as the owner wants to rent the property.

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