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

In McLean, our team likes to work with dependable tenants. Here are some of the traits we expect.

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 renter is trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A renter is neat. A renter does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A renter does not misuse the home.
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 renter doesn't disturb neighbors.
7. A tenant complains at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners money and cause problems for property managers.
8. A tenant doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't ask to replace 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 tenant does not smoke in the rental.
10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the home.

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 difficult tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out unreasonable tenants.