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

In Rockingham County, our team prefers to work with dependable 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 tenant is trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A renter is reasonably clean. A tenant does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not destroy the property or its systems.
5. A renter is courteous and easy to work with. A renter understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't bother neighbors.
7. A renter complains at appropriate times. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause head-aches for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't demand to replace 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 rental.
10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the home.

So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find tenants who measure 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 nose for sniffing out tardy tenants.