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

In Wilton House, our management staff wants to work with reliable tenants. Here are some of the traits we expect.

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 has integrity. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A renter is fussy about cleanliness. A renter does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not overwork the property.
5. A tenant is courteous and nice 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. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't ask to upgrade functioning systems. A renter doesn't expect more than the lease provides. A tenant 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 home.
10. A renter is looking for a rental term that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the home.

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 knack for sniffing out unreasonable renters.