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

In Features, our management staff likes to work with reasonable tenants. Here are a few of the traits we seek out.

1. A renter pays the rent on time every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
2. A renter is trustworthy. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A tenant is reasonably clean. A renter does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not misuse systems.
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 bother neighbors.
7. A tenant reports problems when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners 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 renter 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 tenant does not smoke in the home.
10. A tenant 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 troublesome renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out tardy renters.