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

What we seek in Alexandria tenants

In Alexandria, our management staff wants to deal with reasonable tenants. Here are a few of the traits we look for.

  1. A renter pays the rent on time every month. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
  2. A tenant is honest. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
  3. A renter is reasonably clean. A tenant does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
  4. A renter does not overwork the property.
  5. A renter is courteous and nice to get along with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
  6. A renter doesn't annoy neighbors.
  7. A tenant complains at appropriate times. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause problems for property managers.
  8. A renter doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't demand to replace functioning systems. A renter doesn't expect more than the lease provides. A renter 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 rental.
  10. A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the property.

So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find renters who live 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 unreasonable tenants.

 

Our Five Step Process

Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge applicants in Alexandria based upon appearance.  Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however assess people based upon their history and their actions. If a applicant is rude to our managers from the outset, they will probably be difficult as renters. If a is dishonest, we will expect them to be untrustworthy as a tenant.  If a has troubles producing certified fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same potential renter will have problems while they are in the rental.

But even when every statement initially is good we still vet each potential tenant with a complete background check. Every person and occupant must submit a government-issue photo identification. From there, as property managers we start our vetting process.

How we protect the landlord’s interests in Alexandria: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

Alexandria Rental Management Resources

Basics

Fundamental info regarding property management in Alexandria.

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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 Alexandria 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

An overview of fees associated with rental management in Alexandria

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Vetting

How Nesbitt Realty vets 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 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 rental specialist now.

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Our recommendation

After the background check is reviewed we make a recommendation to the landlord based upon our experience as property managers in Alexandria and the information that we have verified. Ultimately the landlord 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 this area?

Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a handy tool for everyone who needs to review important real estate information about Alexandria and surrounding areas.  The Guide to Real Estate has data about what has sold and what is currently listed, as well as many compelling facts that you may not be aware of.  Furthermore, our Guide has some benefits of living in Alexandria.  Of course, all of this is helpful for purchasers and sellers, but rental investors and renters will also find these resources to be very useful.

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

Will and Julie Nesbitt
Julie and Will Nesbitt pause from property management to take a quick picture.

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