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

In Westview_hills, our management staff likes to work with reliable tenants. Here are a few 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 renter has integrity. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A tenant is reasonably clean. A renter does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not overwork the property or its systems.
5. A renter is courteous and easy to work with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't annoy neighbors.
7. A renter complains at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't ask to upgrade functioning systems. A tenant 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 rental.
10. A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the owner 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 ideal? Experience has taught us that unreasonable renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out tardy renters.