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

In Addition_to_fair_ridge, our management staff likes to work with reasonable renters. Here are some of the traits we seek out.

1. A renter pays the rent when due every month. 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-tenant or pet.
3. A renter is fastidious. A renter does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not destroy the property.
5. A tenant is courteous and easy to get along with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't disturb neighbors.
7. A tenant reports problems at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause head-aches for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't demand to upgrade functioning systems. A renter doesn't expect more than the lease provides. A renter doesn't complain that an appliance doesn't work when the renter 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 landlord 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 standard? Experience has taught us that difficult renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out bad tenants.