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

In Sleepy Hollow Knoll, our management staff likes to work with dependable renters. Here are some of the traits we look for.

1. A tenant 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 tenant has integrity. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A renter is fussy about cleanliness. A renter does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not break the home.
5. A renter 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 renter complains at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause issues for property managers.
8. A renter doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't ask to replace 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 tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
9. A renter does not smoke in the property.
10. A renter is looking for a rental term 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 ideal? Experience has taught us that unreasonable tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out difficult renters.