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

In Northern Virginia, our management staff likes to work with good tenants. Here are some of the traits we expect.

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 honest. A tenant does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A tenant is reasonably clean. A renter does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not misuse the home.
5. A renter is courteous and pleasant to get along with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't disturb neighbors.
7. A renter reports problems when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause issues for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't ask 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 tenant does not smoke in the rental.
10. A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the property owner wants to rent the rental.

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