I owned a condo which I bought way back in the early 80s and I rented it out till I sold it in 1994. My BEST tenant was a foreign Ah Neh. He was clean, neat and tidy and he always paid his rent on time.
My worst tenant was a chow Ang Moh scumbag. Never paid his rent without some arm twisting, burnt holes in the carpet, destroyed my washing machine, whole place stank of booze and cigarettes whenever I visited. I threw him out after a year. His rental deposit wasn't enough to cover the damage. I took him to court to squeeze more money out of him. Fuck those Ang Mohs.
I think it should be "always pays" (and not "always paid") regardless of whether it's the past or present. The word "Always" is followed by a present tense. Hope it's helpful. My two cents worth..