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

In Keene Mill Station, our team likes to deal with reliable tenants. 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 tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A renter is reasonably clean. A tenant does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not break the home.
5. A renter is courteous and easy to get along with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't disturb neighbors.
7. A renter complains when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't demand to upgrade 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 renter does not smoke in the property.
10. A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the property owner wants to rent the rental.

So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find renters who measure up to this standard? 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 difficult renters.