What we seek in Northern Virginia renters
In Northern Virginia, our management staff likes to deal with good tenants. Here are a few of the traits we expect.
- A tenant pays the rent on time every time. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
- A tenant has integrity. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
- A tenant is reasonably clean. A renter does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
- A tenant does not damage the property.
- A tenant is courteous and nice to work with. A renter knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A renter doesn't disturb neighbors.
- A renter complains when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause problems for property managers.
- A tenant doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't demand to upgrade 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.
- A renter does not smoke in the rental.
- A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the landlord wants to rent the home.
So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find renters who measure up to this ideal? Experience has taught us that troublesome tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out difficult tenants.
Our Five Step Process
Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge applicants in Northern Virginia based upon appearance. Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however judge people based upon their reputation and their actions. If a applicant is rude to us at the outset, they will probably be rude as tenants. If a lies, we will expect them to be untrustworthy as a tenant. If a has a problem finding certified fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same potential tenant will have problems during the lease.
But even when every appearance initially is good we still vet each potential renter with a complete background check. Every potential renter 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 Northern Virginia:
Northern Virginia Property Management Resources
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Basics
Basic info about what rental managment in Northern Virginia.
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Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
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Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a great tenant in Northern Virginia 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 services in Northern Virginia
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Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty vets renters for property owners.
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Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
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Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rentals?
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Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a handy reference for property owners in Northern Virginia
- Before you lease out your investment in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the renter
- During tenancy
- End of lease term and what happens when a renter breaks the lease
- How does the landlord get paid?
- How your property management company handles the association and your community
- How your property management company handles utilities
- How we find renters
- Insurance matters for landlords using our rental management
- How Nesbitt Management handles keys
- Northern Virginia property owner responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your rental property in Northern Virginia
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your rental investment
- When landlords don't yet know their new address
- Vetting tenants in Northern Virginia
More Information About Northern Virginia
Our recommendation
After the background check is finished we make a recommendation to the landlord based upon our experience as rental managers in Northern Virginia and the information which 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 know more about the local real estate market?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a free resource for everyone who hopes to find out more about Northern Virginia and neighboring areas. The Guide to Real Estate includes information regarding what has sold and what is on the market, and a few surprising facts that you may not be aware of. Also, our Guide spotlights some elements of residing in Northern Virginia. Definitely, most of this is useful for purchasers and sellers, but real estate investors and tenants will probably also find this information to be somewhat 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

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