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

In Springfield, our management staff prefers to deal with reliable tenants. Here are a few of the traits we expect.

1. A tenant pays the rent when due every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
2. A renter is trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A renter is fussy about cleanliness. A renter does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not destroy the property.
5. A tenant is courteous and nice to get along with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't disturb neighbors.
7. A renter reports problems at appropriate times. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause issues for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't complain 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 tenant doesn't complain that an appliance doesn't work when the renter doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
9. A renter does not smoke in the rental.
10. A tenant is looking for a rental term 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 ideal? Experience has taught us that bad renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out tardy renters.