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

In Arlington Ridge, our team prefers to work with reasonable tenants. Here are a few 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 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 attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not overwork the property or its systems.
5. A renter is courteous and nice to get along with. A renter understands 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 landlords money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A renter doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't demand to upgrade 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 tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
9. A tenant does not smoke in the property.
10. A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the property owner 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 standard? Experience has taught us that troublesome tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out difficult tenants.