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

What we look for in Shirlington renters

In Shirlington, our team prefers to work with good tenants. Here are some of the traits we look for.

  1. 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.
  2. A tenant has integrity. A tenant does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
  3. A renter is reasonably clean. A renter does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
  4. A tenant does not break the property.
  5. A renter is courteous and easy to work with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
  6. A tenant doesn't annoy neighbors.
  7. A renter complains when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors 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 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.
  9. A tenant does not smoke in the home.
  10. A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the property.

So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find tenants who live up to this ideal? Experience has taught us that unreasonable 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 potential renters in Shirlington based upon appearance.  Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however assess potential tenants based upon their history and their actions. If a applicant is rude to our staff at the beginning, they will probably be difficult as tenants. If a lies, we will expect them to be unreliable as a tenant.  If a has difficulty producing certified fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we can expect that same person will have troubles during the lease.

But even if every statement initially is good we still vet every potential renter with a full background check. Every person 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 Shirlington: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

Shirlington Rental Management Resources

Basics

Elementary information about what property management in Shirlington.

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Getting Started

Learn more about getting started with property management

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Find A Tenant

Market your property to rent to find a great renter in Shirlington fast.

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Accounting

How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for real estate investors?

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Cost

A list of prices of property management services in Shirlington

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Vetting

How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of renters for our clients.

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Reserves

What is a contingency reserve account?

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Territory

Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental property?

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Clients

Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?

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Contact

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

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Our recommendation

After the background check is complete we make a recommendation to the owner based upon our experience as property managers in Shirlington and the information that 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 understand more about this local real estate market?

Our Guide to Real Estate is a handy resource for everyone who needs to review important real estate information about Shirlington and nearby communities.  The Guide to Real Estate has facts regarding what has sold and what is on the market, and many surprising facts that you might not be aware of.  And, our Guide has quite a few of the benefits of life in Shirlington.  Of course, all of this is helpful for purchasers and sellers, but rental investors and renters will probably also find the facts to be somewhat edifying.

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

Julie 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