What we look for in Alexandria renters
In Alexandria, our management staff prefers to work with reasonable renters. Here are some of the traits we look for.
- A tenant pays the rent on time every month. 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 renter is neat. A tenant does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
- A renter does not damage systems.
- A renter is courteous and easy to work with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A tenant doesn't bother neighbors.
- A renter complains when appropriate. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause issues for property managers.
- A renter doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't demand 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 renter doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
- A tenant does not smoke in the rental.
- A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the owner wants to rent the rental.
So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find renters who measure up to this standard? Experience has taught us that difficult tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out bad tenants.
Our Five Step Process
Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge potential tenants in Alexandria based upon appearance. Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however judge potential renters based upon their reputation and their actions. If a applicant is difficult with our staff at the outset, they will probably be rude as renters. If a lies, we can expect them to be unreliable as a tenant. If a has troubles scrounging up money for background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same applicant will have problems while they are in the rental.
But even when every action initially is good we still check the background of every 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.
Alexandria Property Management Resources
Basics
Basic information about what management services in Alexandria.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a great tenant in Alexandria fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for real estate investors?
Cost
A breakdown of prices of rental management services in Alexandria
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of renters for landlords.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage property?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a free source for rental investors in Alexandria
- Before you move a tenant into your rental property in Alexandria
- 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 rental investor get paid?
- How your property management company handles the association and your community
- How your property manager handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Management finds renters
- Insurance matters for owners using our property management
- How Nesbitt Management handles keys
- Alexandria property owner responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your property in Alexandria
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your rental property
- When landlords don't yet know their new address
- Vetting renters in Alexandria
More Information About Alexandria
Our recommendation
After the background check is reviewed we make a recommendation to the property owner based upon our experience as rental managers in Alexandria and the information which 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.
Should you understand more about the area?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a helpful tool for anyone who wants to find out more about Alexandria and surrounding communities. The Guide to Real Estate provides data regarding what has sold and what is on the market, as well as a couple of surprising facts that you may not know. And, our Guide highlights some elements of living in Alexandria. As might be expected, all of this is helpful for purchasers and sellers, but landlords and tenants will probably also find this information to be quite 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