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

What we seek in Northern Virginia renters

In Northern Virginia, Nesbitt Realty prefers to work with good tenants. Here are some of the traits we expect.

  1. A renter pays the rent when due every month. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
  2. A renter is trustworthy. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
  3. A tenant is neat. A renter does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
  4. A renter does not misuse the property.
  5. A renter is courteous and pleasant to get along with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
  6. A renter doesn't bother neighbors.
  7. A renter complains at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners money and cause issues for property managers.
  8. A tenant doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't demand to upgrade 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.
  9. A renter does not smoke in the home.
  10. A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the property owner wants to rent the home.

So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find tenants who live up to this standard? Experience has taught us that troublesome renters 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 potential tenants in Northern Virginia based upon appearance.  Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however assess applicants based upon their history and their actions. If a applicant is difficult with our staff from the start, they will probably be difficult as tenants. If a is dishonest, we can expect them to be untrustworthy as a tenant.  If a has difficulty producing certified fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we can expect that same potential renter will have difficulty while they are in the rental.

But even if every statement initially is promising we still check the background of every applicant with a full background check. Every applicant 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: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 Rental Management Resources

Basics

Basic info about what property management in Northern Virginia.

Learn More

Getting Started

Learn more about getting started with rental property management

Learn More

Find A Tenant

Market your property to rent to find a reliable tenant in Northern Virginia fast.

Learn More

Accounting

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

Learn More

Cost

A breakdown of fees associated with rental management in Northern Virginia

Learn More

Vetting

How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of tenants for landlords.

Learn More

Reserves

What is a contingency reserve account?

Learn More

Territory

Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental investments?

Learn More

Clients

Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?

Learn More

Contact

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

Email

Our recommendation

After the background check is reviewed 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 want understand more about this local real estate market?

Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a free tool for anyone who needs to find out more about Northern Virginia and nearby areas.  The Guide to Real Estate provides information about what has sold and what is currently listed, as well as a couple of compelling facts that you may not be aware of.  Furthermore, our Guide spotlights many of the fundamentals of residing in Northern Virginia.  Certainly, all of this is useful for buyers and sellers, but owners and renters will likely also find this information to be very eye-opening.

Our Broker Will Nesbitt

Will Nesbitt
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

Nesbitt Realty
Nesbitt Realty is here when you needed.

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