Vetting Tenants — How we protect the landlord’s interests.

What we seek in Northern Virginia tenants

In Northern Virginia, our team likes to deal with reasonable tenants. Here are a few of the traits we look for.

  1. A tenant pays the rent when due every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
  2. A tenant is trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
  3. A renter is neat. A renter does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
  4. A renter does not overwork the property.
  5. A tenant is courteous and pleasant to get along with. A renter understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
  6. A tenant doesn't annoy neighbors.
  7. A renter reports problems when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners money and cause head-aches for property managers.
  8. A tenant doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant 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 tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
  9. A tenant does not smoke in the home.
  10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the property owner wants to rent the rental.

So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find renters who measure up to this ideal? Experience has taught us that tardy tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out troublesome 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 assess potential renters based upon their reputation and their actions. If a applicant is difficult with our managers from the start, they will probably be troublesome as renters. If a is caught fabricating facts, we will expect them to be dishonest as a tenant.  If a has difficulty finding money for background fees and the first month of rent, we can expect that same person will have difficulty during the lease.

But even if every action initially is promising we still check the background of every person with a complete background check. Every potential renter 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:Nesbitt Realty is committed to Fair Housing

  1. We Check The Applicant’s Credit History
  2. We Investigate The Applicant’s Criminal History
  3. We Investigate The Applicant’s Rental History
  4. We Look For Internal Consistency In The Rental Application
  5. We Want To Know If The Applicant Can Afford The Rent

Northern Virginia Property Management Resources

Basics

Basic info regarding rental managment in Northern Virginia.

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Getting Started

Learn more about getting started with rental property management

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Find A Tenant

List your property to rent to find a reliable renter in Northern Virginia fast.

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Accounting

How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for landlords?

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Cost

An overview of fees associated with property management services in Northern Virginia

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Vetting

How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of tenants for landlords.

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Reserves

What is a contingency reserve account?

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Territory

Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental investments?

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Clients

Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?

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Contact

Call (703)765-0300 to speak to a rental specialist now.

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Our recommendation

After the background check is finished we make a recommendation to the property owner based upon our experience as rental managers in Northern Virginia and the information which we have verified. Ultimately the owner 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 community?

Our Guide to Real Estate is a free resource for anyone who hopes to investigate real estate facts about Northern Virginia and nearby areas.  The Guide to Real Estate provides information about what has sold and what is on the market, and a couple of surprising facts that you may not be aware of.  Also, our Guide highlights some fundamentals of living in Northern Virginia.  Yes, all of this is useful for buyers and sellers, but rental investors and tenants may also find these tools to be somewhat informative.

Our Broker Will Nesbitt

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"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

Julie & Grover
Julie

 I like tenants that pay on time. Late paying tenants cause extra work and unnecessary stress for landlords and property managers. ~ Julie Nesbitt