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

In Christopher_At_Cedar_Lks, our management staff likes to deal with reliable renters. Here are some of the traits we expect.

1. A renter 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-renter or pet.
3. A renter is fastidious. A tenant does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not damage the property or its systems.
5. A tenant is courteous and easy to get along with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't annoy neighbors.
7. A renter complains when appropriate. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A renter doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter 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 renter doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
9. A tenant 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 property.

So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find tenants who live up to this ideal? 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 renters.