What we seek in Northern Virginia renters
In Northern Virginia, our management staff likes to deal with reasonable renters. Here are a few of the traits we seek out.
- A tenant pays the rent when due every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
- A tenant is trustworthy. A tenant does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
- A tenant is fussy about cleanliness. A tenant does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
- A tenant does not overwork systems.
- A tenant is courteous and nice to work with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A tenant doesn't bother neighbors.
- A renter reports problems at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost property owners money and cause head-aches for property managers.
- A renter doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter 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 tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
- A tenant does not smoke in the home.
- A renter is looking for a rental term that is as long as the landlord wants to rent the rental.
So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find renters who live up to this standard? Experience has taught us that bad tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out difficult renters.
Our Five Step Process
Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge people in Northern Virginia 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 rude to us from the outset, they will probably be trying as renters. If a makes false statements, we will expect them to be dishonest as a renter. If a has a problem finding fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same applicant will have troubles while they are in the rental.
But even if every appearance initially is promising we still check the background of each person with a complete 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:
Northern Virginia Rental Management Resources
Basics
Fundamental information about what property management in Northern Virginia.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with rental property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a reliable renter in Northern Virginia fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for landlords?
Cost
A list of fees associated with rental management in Northern Virginia
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty vets renters for our clients.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental investments?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a free source for rental investors in Northern Virginia
- Before you rent out your investment in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the tenant
- During the lease term
- End of tenancy and what happens when a tenant breaks the lease
- How does the landlord get paid?
- How your management company handles the association and your community
- How your property management company handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Management finds tenants
- Insurance matters for owners using our rental management
- How Nesbitt Management handles keys
- Northern Virginia owner responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your property in Northern Virginia
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your rental property
- When property owners don't yet know their new address
- Vetting renters in Northern Virginia
More Information About Northern Virginia
Our recommendation
After the background check is finished we make a recommendation to the real estate investor based upon our experience as property managers in Northern Virginia 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.
Should you know more about our community?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a helpful resource for anyone who wants to investigate real estate facts about Northern Virginia and surrounding communities. The Guide to Real Estate includes facts regarding what has sold and what is on the market, as well as a couple of surprising facts that you might not be aware of. Also, our Guide spotlights quite a few of the benefits of living in Northern Virginia. Of course, all of this is useful for purchasers and sellers, but property owners and tenants will also find the facts to be somewhat eye-opening.
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

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