What we seek in Northern Virginia renters
In Northern Virginia, our management staff likes to deal with good renters. Here are some of the traits we look for.
- A renter pays the rent when due every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
- A renter has integrity. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
- A renter is fussy about cleanliness. A tenant does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
- A tenant does not misuse the home.
- A renter is courteous and nice to work with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A renter doesn't annoy neighbors.
- A renter complains when appropriate. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners money and cause issues for property managers.
- A renter doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't ask to upgrade functioning systems. A tenant doesn't expect more than the lease provides. A renter doesn't complain that an appliance doesn't work when the tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
- A renter does not smoke in the rental.
- A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the owner wants to rent the property.
So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find renters who live up to this ideal? Experience has taught us that troublesome tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out bad renters.
Our Five Step Process
Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge applicants in Northern Virginia based upon appearance. Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however judge applicants based upon their history and their actions. If a applicant is rude to our managers at the beginning, they will probably be troublesome as renters. If a lies, we will expect them to be dishonest as a tenant. If a has a problem scrounging up fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same person will have troubles while they are in the rental.
But even if every action initially is promising we still vet each person with a complete background check. Every person and occupant must provide a government-issue photo identification. From there, as rental we start our vetting process.
How we protect the landlord’s interests in Northern Virginia:
Northern Virginia Property Management Resources
Basics
Basic info about what management services in Northern Virginia.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a great tenant in Northern Virginia fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for landlords?
Cost
A breakdown of prices of rental management in Northern Virginia
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty vets tenants for property owners.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental investments?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a useful source for property owners in Northern Virginia
- Before you put a renter in your property in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the tenant
- During the lease term
- End of tenancy and what happens when a renter breaks the lease
- How does the property owner get paid?
- How your property manager handles the association and your community
- How your property manager handles utilities
- How Nesbitt finds tenants
- Insurance matters for property owners using our property management
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management manage keys
- Northern Virginia rental investor responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your rental investment in Northern Virginia
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your property
- When landlords don't yet know their new address
- Vetting tenants in Northern Virginia
More Information About Northern Virginia
Our recommendation
After the background check is complete we make a recommendation to the property owner based upon our experience as rental managers in Northern Virginia and the information that we have verified. Ultimately the real estate investor decides if the risk is worth taking, but they make that decision based upon facts and our expert advice.
Do you need know more about our area?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a helpful resource for anyone who hopes to find out more about Northern Virginia and surrounding communities. The Guide to Real Estate includes data about what has sold and what is for sale, as well as many compelling facts that you may not be aware of. Furthermore, our Guide features many of the elements of residing in Northern Virginia. Of course, all of this is useful for buyers and sellers, but landlords and tenants should also find the facts to be very useful.
Our Broker Will Nesbitt
"I am by nature a trusting person, but this business has taught me to verify every statement that a tenant makes. Scammers and bad tenants can sometimes give every appearance of being trustworthy and upright people. We never cut corners on background checks." ~ Will Nesbitt
Julie Nesbitt
I like tenants that pay on time. Late paying tenants cause extra work and unnecessary stress for landlords and property managers. ~ Julie Nesbitt