Let’s talk about the lifeblood of a successful property investment journey: property managers and good tenants.

Problem tenants are a thorn in the side to new property investors and seasoned veterans alike, which is why so many homeowners hire a property manager to find one for them.

So, how do property managers help find a good tenant for your rental property?

Our property expert Wayde Hildrew has helped us explain how software for real estate agents choose tenants, and what property managers look for in a tenant, using :Different as an example. After reading, you'll know what separates the good property managers from the bad when it comes to leasing your property.

There are a few core qualities that make a tenant great, which your property manager will always look for when browsing applications.

These qualities are that the tenant:

• Can consistently pay their rent on time
• Is easy to communicate with and is accommodating
• Will treat the property with respect and reports issues in a timely manner
• Want to stay for a long period of time

A bad tenant means you increase the risk of your investment property, which is why so many investors try their hardest to avoid it. If your property manager doesn't put in the work, you'll find yourself getting an inconsistent income, the property might get damaged, or you might get sudden vacancies.

Now that we know what makes a good tenant and why we care about it, what exact measures do property managers take to find these tenants?

Property managers will use a combination of thorough tenant background checks, as well as their one-on-one impression of the tenant at open homes and over the phone. This includes things like scanning their rental history, asking for proof of income, and organising an interview to get a better idea of what kind of person the tenant is and to ask any questions.

At the same time, real estate agents understand that mistakes happen, and we all have our ups and downs. A good property manager should ask about gaps in a tenant's application and hear out their explanation. You'll find that there are plenty of tenants with bad credit who would still make an excellent fit and pay their rent on time.

So, property managers typically use a tenant selection checklist and try to satisfy as many of those criteria as possible. Not necessarily all of them. The best-suited tenant is the one who gets the honour.

Here are a few ways good property managers stand out from the crowd through the process of finding you, new tenants:

• They understand that every property is unique, and that they have to look at each applicant individually and how they fit with your investment property.
• They’re strategic. They know how to market your property. They understand your target tenant, and how to reach them.
• They have a plan. They keep track of tenants who have seen your property.
• They use tenant databases to inform their decision. They look at previous rental records, payment history, credit scores and so on. This leads to you always getting your rental income on time.
• They contact references critically, and check that they’re legitimate.
• Their procedure for handling property maintenance issues is seamless and quick, which results in happy tenants.
• They’re proactive. They stay on top of lease renewals. They don’t leave things until the last minute, and try to lock in good tenants way before the lease expires.
• They try to solve problems before they happen. When they do happen, they deal with them efficiently on your behalf without causing headache.

If this doesn't sound like your property manager, it might be time to make a change. Read our article on switching property managers, and use our guide for finding a good property manager if you decide to go on the search for a new one.

So, what does this actually look like in practice?

Wayde explains the step-by-step process we have at :Different:

Getting a strong pool of potential tenants starts with making the rental property as visible as possible. That's why our main focus is on Domain.com.au and Realestate.com.au, as they are the best places to find tenants in terms of traffic.

If that doesn't give us the volume we're looking for, we'll also make use of:

• Our own database of tenants
• Social media channels
• Subsidiary real estate sites

Finding great tenants is often a numbers game. Once we have a large pool of interested tenants we can start screening and selection.

Screening always starts with reference and credit score checks. No surprises there! But, that doesn't give you the full picture.

We look at a few more things to decide if a tenant is the one we're looking for:

• Can the tenant realistically afford to rent your property? We use the same rule as banks when they look at financing. The tenant’s net weekly income should be 30% greater than the rent.
• What's their history like? Have they rented similar places in the past?
• How does their profile fit with the property specifications? All rental properties are unique, so there's no rule of thumb on which tenant to put where. We look at each individual application and see if the pairing makes sense. For example, a group of 6 teenage boys is probably not a good fit for a quiet suburban apartment complex.

We do this to prevent trouble down the line. Tenant turnover can cost an owner around $1,750 a month. Spending the time now to find a tenant you'll keep long-term is always worth it, instead of rushing a tenant into a home just to fill a vacancy.

We look at two main areas when we check if the tenant ended up being who we were hoping for:

• Rental payments
  Did the tenant pay rent consistently and on-time? We ask ourselves if the tenant seems organised and has their paperwork in check. Of course, we take into account good-faith mistakes and misunderstandings.
  
• The condition of the property
  We make it a point to do routine property inspections, like any good property manager should. This gives us a gauge on how the property is being looked after and what it will look like when it’s returned.

A tenant who ticks all the boxes and wants to stay is music to any property owner's ears. To keep these tenants, we make sure to offer a new lease and start any negotiation well in advance - two to three months before the current lease ends.

A strong screening and selection process prevents bad surprises, and drastically reduces vacancies.

When issues arise, everyone wants a resolution that all parties are happy with. There are some common themes around the issues we usually see with tenants:

• A problem with the condition of the property was never reported
• The tenant couldn't pay their rent on time
• The tenant suddenly needs to move out

The root cause of these issues is always a lack of communication. That's why we make sure there are communication channels between the tenant, us (the property manager) and the property owner.

Whether the tenant stays or goes always comes down to the individual issue, and what everyone agrees on.

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