What we seek in Northern Virginia tenants
In Northern Virginia, our team prefers to deal with reasonable tenants. Here are a few of the traits we look for.
- A tenant pays the rent on time every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
- A renter is trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
- A renter is fussy about cleanliness. A tenant does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
- A tenant does not break the property.
- A renter is courteous and pleasant to get along with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A tenant doesn't annoy neighbors.
- A tenant reports problems when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors 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 renter 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.
- A tenant does not smoke in the home.
- A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the landlord wants to rent the property.
So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find renters who measure up to this standard? Experience has taught us that unreasonable renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out troublesome 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 potential renters based upon their track record and their actions. If a applicant is difficult with our staff from the outset, they will probably be rude as tenants. If a makes false statements, we can expect them to be dishonest as a tenant. If a has difficulty finding certified fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same person will have difficulty during the lease.
But even if every action initially is promising we still check the background of each applicant with a complete background check. Every potential renter and occupant must provide a government-issue photo identification. From there, as property managers we start our vetting process.
How we protect the landlord’s interests in Northern Virginia:
Northern Virginia Property Management Resources
Basics
Elementary information about what property management in Northern Virginia.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a reliable tenant in Northern Virginia fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for real estate investors?
Cost
A list of prices of property management services in Northern Virginia
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty vets renters for our clients.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage property?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a handy reference 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 tenancy
- End of lease term and what happens when a tenant breaks the lease
- How does the owner get paid?
- How your property manager handles the association and your community
- How your property management company handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management finds tenants
- Insurance matters for rental investors using our rental management
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management manage keys
- Northern Virginia landlord 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 rental investment
- When landlords don't yet know their new address
- Vetting renters in Northern Virginia
More Information About Northern Virginia
Our recommendation
After the background check is complete we make a recommendation to the landlord based upon our experience as property 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?
Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a free resource for anyone who wants to review important real estate information about Northern Virginia and surrounding areas. The Guide to Real Estate includes information about what has sold and what is on the market, as well as some compelling facts that you might not be aware of. Furthermore, our Guide features quite a few of the assets of life in Northern Virginia. Of course, most of this is helpful for purchasers and sellers, but real estate investors and tenants might also find this data to be somewhat enlightening.
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