Take in tenants every so often (3)
I believe the answer is:
eat
'take in' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'tenants every so often' is the wordplay.
'every so often' indicates alternate letters.
The alternate letters of 'tenants' are 'EAT'.
(Other definitions for eat that I've seen before include "Bite, chew and swallow" , "Make food disappear" , "Use a knife and fork" , "put away" , "Corrode" .)