I find out new things about myself all the time and today I realized that I love idioms as noted from the title of this blog and a previous blog; While The Cat's Away The Mice Will Play. I'm not sure what to say about this self realization, except I'm a nerd and I apologize. Now that I've cleared the air and my conscience let's get down to the nitty gritty of tenant selection.
Being a landlord and working for a Property Management Software company has made me realize that not all tenants are created equally and none of them are perfect. So if you've completed your tenant screening and the applicant meets all of your established criteria it is important to set aside any unreasonable expectations or you may find yourself barking up the wrong tree. Let's quit beating around the bush and cut to the chase some of the expectations that I, and many landlords have for there tenants are nit-picky. I've listed a few that I have found myself guilty of a time or two but as time has gone along I've tried to turn a blind eye to some of the inconsequential things.
1. The tenant will always pay rent on time- I'm on the fence on this one, is it really OK to pay rent late? I suppose even the perfect tenant can run into financial problems or just flat out forget to pay. As long as this happens once in a blue moon then no harm no foul.
2. The landscaping will always be perfectly manicured- Yes, your rental agreement specifies that the tenant is responsible for the upkeep of the landscaping and other outdoor maintenance. The rental agreement probably doesn't specify that the exterior of the home be pristine at all times so maybe you should cool your heals and ask yourself if the tenant is causing damage to; the landscaping plants, exterior of the building, or neighborhood. If the answer is no it probably is no big deal.
3. There will be no maintenance requests- With the quality of many of the appliances in this day and age you can rest assured that something will malfunction and even if it is a small issue it is always the landlords responsibility to repair the issue.
Last but not least
4. The house will be kept squeaky clean- This is a tough one for me when doing inspections because I don't understand how people can live like pigs. It all comes back again to whether the property is being damaged and clutter and dirt most likely won't hurt the property.
The ball is in your court you can focus on how the tenant doesn't take care of the property as you would or you can focus on the positive. I'll go out on a limb here and say you may find yourself appreciating your tenants for what they do right instead of what they do wrong. I hope all of my idioms didn't detract from what my message here was, I was just having a little fun. I wish you all the best with your tenants!
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Dulcey is a member of Rentec Direct who provides Property Management Software, tenant ach payment processing, Rentec credit, criminal, and eviction screening for property managers and landlords.
Learn more about tenant screening here: https://www.rentecdirect.com/blog/category/tenant-screening/
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