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

In Sligo Estates, our management staff wants to work with good renters. Here are a few of the traits we look for.

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 tenant is trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A tenant is neat. A renter does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not overwork the home.
5. A tenant 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 annoy neighbors.
7. A tenant reports problems at appropriate times. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't complain 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 renter doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
9. A tenant does not smoke in the home.
10. A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the property.

So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find renters who live up to this ideal? Experience has taught us that tardy renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out unreasonable renters.