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

In Washington, our team wants to work with good tenants. Here are some 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 tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A renter is fussy about cleanliness. A renter does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not damage the home.
5. A tenant 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 disturb neighbors.
7. A tenant complains when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners 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 ask to upgrade 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 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 tenant, but how do we find renters who measure 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 nose for sniffing out unreasonable renters.