One of the most important responsibilities of a property manager is to find the ideal tenant for your rental property. At Century 21, we believe in the fact that a good tenant is the foundation of a good business. We have our team of professionals focus on finding quality tenants who will value your property, pay the rent in a timely manner, and finally, leave the home in good shape. So, whilst we have a great track record in finding good tenants, we also emphasize keeping them once we have found them. Here are some of the things we have found make the difference:

Keep up with maintenance
We find one of the main reasons that tenants choose to leave their property is property manager's slow response to maintenance requests. One bad maintenance experience can motivate a tenant to start looking for other places to live. It also tends to mean they don't look after the property as well. For whatever reason, tenants are just much more likely to look after a property in good condition. The rent received is not free money. Some rental contracts are worth tens of thousands of dollars. Tenants, not unreasonably, expect to receive a quality product. 

Make it easy for tenants to pay
Collecting rent is one of the most tedious processes in being a landlord. We take the burden and documentation out of that process for our owners with the assistance of online bill payments and the best software available in the property management industry. The due date is always the 1st of the month. If the tenant moves in during the middle of the month, their rent will be pro-rated. North Carolina law requires a grace period for rent payments. They are due the 1st - and late the 7thof the month in accordance with North Carolina law that states a grace period of 5 days must be given.

Respond quickly to noise & crime complaints
If your tenant is complaining about noisy neighbors, those neighbors may be affecting far more people who aren't speaking up. Also, renters who do not respect their neighbors enough to be quiet late at night probably don't respect your property, either.

Give tenants advance notice of potential problems
If you are replacing a roof or the town is redoing the streets, we will let your tenants know in advance. Mutual respect and consideration goes a long way to forming a good relationship.

Enforce your rules fairly and equally
If tenants have assigned parking, we will be vigilant about them staying in their assigned spaces. If you allow pets, we will make sure the tenants are cleaning up after them. If you have smoking or noise rules, we will enforce them. Good tenants want to live somewhere that feels safe and welcoming.

Be proactive about renewing
At Century 21 Sterling, we give tenants ample reminders that their lease is coming up for renewal, so they are not surprised. We also try to lock in renewals early to avoid uncertainty about your turnovers. Unless the tenant is given a 30-day notice by the landlord, or vice versa - the lease is extended automatically on a month-to-month basis until an extension is signed or one party provides the other party with a 30-day notice to end the lease. Keeping a renter in the property and paying rent for a long time is an important strategy, and we work hard to make that happen.