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

In Washington, our team prefers to deal with reliable renters. Here are a few of the traits we look for.

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-tenant or pet.
3. A renter is neat. A renter does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not damage the property.
5. A renter is courteous and nice to get along with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't bother neighbors.
7. A tenant complains when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A renter 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 renter 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 home.
10. A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the rental.

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