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

In Fairfax County, Nesbitt Realty wants to deal with reliable tenants. Here are some of the traits we expect.

1. A tenant 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 honest. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
3. A tenant is reasonably clean. A renter does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
4. A tenant does not damage systems.
5. A renter is courteous and nice to work 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. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners money and cause issues for property managers.
8. A renter doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't ask 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 renter does not smoke in the rental.
10. A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the owner 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 difficult renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out tardy renters.