What we seek in Northern Virginia tenants
In Northern Virginia, our team likes to deal with good renters. Here are a few of the traits we look for.
- 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 renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
- A renter is neat. A renter does not bring pests such as rodents and bugs.
- A renter does not break the home.
- A renter is courteous and nice to work with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A renter doesn't bother neighbors.
- A renter reports problems 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 renter doesn't demand to upgrade functioning systems. A renter 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 renter does not smoke in the property.
- A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the home.
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 unreasonable renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out troublesome tenants.
Our Five Step Process
Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge potential tenants in Northern Virginia based upon appearance. Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however judge applicants based upon their reputation and their actions. If a applicant is rude to our staff from the beginning, they will probably be trying as renters. If a makes false statements, we will expect them to be unreliable as a tenant. If a has troubles producing certified fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we can expect that same potential renter will have troubles during the lease.
But even if every appearance initially is good we still check the background of each person with a full background check. Every person and occupant must provide 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 information regarding property management in Northern Virginia.
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Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
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Find A Tenant
Market your property to rent to find a great renter in Northern Virginia fast.
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Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for landlords?
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Cost
An overview of fees associated with rental management in Northern Virginia
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Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of tenants for our clients.
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Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
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Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage property?
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Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a handy source for landlords in Northern Virginia
- Before you put a renter in your property in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the renter
- During tenancy
- End of lease term and what happens when a tenant breaks the lease
- How does the owner get paid?
- How your rental manager handles the association and your community
- How your management company handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Management finds renters
- Insurance matters for rental investors using our rental management
- How Nesbitt Management handles keys
- Northern Virginia 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 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 landlord based upon our experience as property managers in Northern Virginia and the information which we have verified. Ultimately the property 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 tool for anyone who wants to investigate real estate facts about Northern Virginia and neighboring areas. The Guide to Real Estate provides data about what has sold and what is on the market, and a few shocking facts that you may not be aware of. In addition, our Guide highlights many of the benefits of living in Northern Virginia. Of course, all of this is useful for purchasers and sellers, but rental investors and tenants may also find this data to be quite 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