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

In Lebanon Church, our team wants to deal with good tenants. Here are some of the traits we seek out.

1. A renter 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 renter is honest. A tenant does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A renter is neat. A renter does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not overwork systems.
5. A renter is courteous and easy to get along with. A renter understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't annoy neighbors.
7. A tenant complains at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners 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 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 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 tenant, but how do we find tenants who live up to this standard? Experience has taught us that tardy tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out bad renters.