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

In Lee District, our management staff wants to deal with good renters. Here are a few of the traits we look for.

1. A tenant 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 has integrity. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A tenant is neat. A renter does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not destroy the home.
5. A renter is courteous and nice to work with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't bother neighbors.
7. A renter reports problems at appropriate times. tenants 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 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 rental.
10. A renter 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 tenant, but how do we find renters who live up to this standard? Experience has taught us that unreasonable tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out bad tenants.