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

In Haymarket, our team likes to work with reasonable tenants. Here are some of the traits we look for.

1. A tenant pays the rent when due every month. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
2. A tenant has integrity. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A tenant is fastidious. A renter does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not destroy the home.
5. A renter is courteous and easy to work with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A tenant doesn't annoy neighbors.
7. A tenant reports problems at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause head-aches for property managers.
8. A renter doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't demand to upgrade 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 property.
10. A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the owner wants to rent the property.

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