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

What we seek in Rappahannock County tenants

In Rappahannock County, our management staff likes to work with reliable tenants. Here are some of the traits we look for.

  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 tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
  3. A tenant is reasonably clean. A tenant does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
  4. A renter does not damage the home.
  5. A renter is courteous and easy to get along with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
  6. A renter doesn't disturb neighbors.
  7. A renter reports problems at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause issues for property managers.
  8. A renter 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 renter doesn't complain that an appliance doesn't work when the tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
  9. A tenant does not smoke in the property.
  10. A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the property owner wants to rent the property.

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 unreasonable tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out troublesome renters.

 

Our Five Step Process

Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge people in Rappahannock County based upon appearance.  Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however judge applicants based upon their track record and their actions. If a applicant is difficult with our managers at the beginning, they will probably be troublesome as tenants. If a lies, we will expect them to be dishonest as a tenant.  If a has a problem finding fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same person will have difficulty while they are in the rental.

But even if every statement initially is promising we still check the background of each applicant with a complete background check. Every person and occupant must submit a government-issue photo identification. From there, as rental we start our vetting process.

How we protect the landlord’s interests in Rappahannock County: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

Rappahannock County Rental Management Resources

Basics

Elementary information about what property management in Rappahannock County.

Learn More

Getting Started

Learn more about getting started with rental property management

Learn More

Find A Tenant

List your property to rent to find a reliable renter in Rappahannock County 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 Rappahannock County

Learn More

Vetting

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

Learn More

Reserves

What is a contingency reserve account?

Learn More

Territory

Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental property?

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 real estate investor based upon our experience as property managers in Rappahannock County and the information which we have verified. Ultimately the real estate investor 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?

Our Guide to Real Estate is a free resource for everyone who wants to find out more about Rappahannock County and surrounding areas.  The Guide to Real Estate includes information about what has sold and what is currently listed, and a few surprising facts that you may not be aware of.  Not to mention, our Guide highlights some elements of life in Rappahannock County.  Of course, all of this is helpful for purchasers and sellers, but landlords and renters will also find this information to be very useful.

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