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

In Fairfax_station, our management staff wants to work with good renters. Here are a few of the traits we expect.

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 renter is honest. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A tenant is fussy about cleanliness. A tenant does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not misuse the home.
5. A tenant is courteous and pleasant to get along with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't annoy neighbors.
7. A tenant reports problems at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't ask 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 home.
10. A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the landlord 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 standard? Experience has taught us that difficult tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out tardy tenants.