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

In Northern Virginia, our management staff prefers to work with reliable renters. Here are some of the traits we expect.

1. A tenant 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 tenant is trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
3. A renter is fastidious. A renter does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not break the property or its systems.
5. A tenant is courteous and easy to work with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
6. A renter doesn't annoy neighbors.
7. A renter complains when appropriate. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A renter doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't ask 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 renter is looking for a rental term that is as long as the owner 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 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 difficult renters.