What we seek in Northern Virginia tenants
In Northern Virginia, our team prefers to work with reliable tenants. Here are a few of the traits we expect.
- A renter pays the rent on time every month. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
- A renter has integrity. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
- A tenant is neat. A renter does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
- A tenant does not destroy the home.
- A renter is courteous and nice to get along with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A renter doesn't annoy neighbors.
- A tenant complains when appropriate. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause issues for property managers.
- A tenant doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't demand to replace functioning systems. A tenant doesn't expect more than the lease provides. A tenant doesn't complain that an appliance doesn't work when the renter doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
- A renter does not smoke in the property.
- A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the rental.
So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find tenants who live up to this standard? Experience has taught us that unreasonable tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out bad tenants.
Our Five Step Process
Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge people in Northern Virginia based upon appearance. Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however assess applicants based upon their reputation and their actions. If a applicant is rude to us from the start, they will probably be rude as tenants. If a makes false statements, we will expect them to be untrustworthy as a renter. If a has troubles producing fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same person will have difficulty while they are in the rental.
But even when every statement initially is promising we still check the background of every applicant with a complete background check. Every potential tenant and occupant must submit 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 regarding management services in Northern Virginia.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with rental property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a dependable tenant in Northern Virginia fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for property owners?
Cost
A breakdown of prices of property management services in Northern Virginia
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of renters for property owners.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental property?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a handy reference for property owners in Northern Virginia
- Before you move a tenant into your investment in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the tenant
- During tenancy
- End of lease term and what happens when a tenant breaks the lease
- How does the owner get paid?
- How your management company handles the association and your community
- How your property manager handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management finds tenants
- Insurance matters for landlords using our property management
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management manage keys
- Northern Virginia rental investor responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your rental property in Northern Virginia
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your property
- When property owners don't yet know their new address
- Vetting renters in Northern Virginia
More Information About Northern Virginia
Our recommendation
After the background check is reviewed 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 want understand more about our local real estate market?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a free tool for anyone who wants to learn more about Northern Virginia and nearby areas. The Guide to Real Estate includes facts regarding what has sold and what is currently listed, and a few compelling facts that you might not know. In addition, our Guide highlights many of the elements of living in Northern Virginia. Naturally, all of this is useful for buyers and sellers, but real estate investors and tenants will also find these tools to be very informative.
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