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

In Mosaic_At_Merrifield, our management staff likes to deal with reasonable renters. Here are a few of the traits we look for.

1. A tenant pays the rent when due every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
2. A renter is honest. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A renter is neat. A tenant does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not overwork the property or its systems.
5. A tenant is courteous and pleasant to get along with. A renter understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't disturb neighbors.
7. A tenant reports problems when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause head-aches for property managers.
8. A renter doesn't gripe 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 renter does not smoke in the home.
10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the owner wants to rent the home.

So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find renters who measure up to this ideal? 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 unreasonable renters.