What we look for in Northern Virginia renters
In Northern Virginia, our management staff prefers to deal with dependable tenants. Here are a few of the traits we look for.
- A renter 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 is trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
- A renter is fastidious. A tenant does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
- A tenant does not destroy systems.
- A renter is courteous and nice to get along with. A renter understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A tenant doesn't disturb neighbors.
- A renter complains when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause issues for property managers.
- A renter doesn't gripe 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 renter doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
- A tenant does not smoke in the rental.
- A tenant is looking for a lease that is as long as the property owner wants to rent the rental.
So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find tenants who live up to this standard? Experience has taught us that difficult renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out unreasonable renters.
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 assess potential tenants based upon their track record and their actions. If a applicant is difficult with us at the outset, they will probably be trying as renters. If a lies, we can expect them to be dishonest as a renter. If a has difficulty scrounging up fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we can expect that same person will have difficulty during the lease.
But even when every appearance initially is good we still check the background of every potential tenant with a complete background check. Every potential tenant 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
Basic information about what management services in Northern Virginia.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with rental property management
Find A Tenant
Market your property to rent to find a dependable tenant in Northern Virginia fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for real estate investors?
Cost
An overview of prices of rental management in Northern Virginia
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of tenants for our clients.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage property?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a handy reference for property owners in Northern Virginia
- Before you rent out your property in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the renter
- During the lease term
- End of tenancy and what happens when a renter breaks the lease
- How does the rental investor get paid?
- How your management company handles the association and your community
- How your property manager handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Management finds tenants
- Insurance matters for owners using our property 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
- 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 property owner based upon our experience as rental managers in Northern Virginia 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 know more about this community?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a handy resource for everyone who hopes to investigate real estate facts about Northern Virginia and neighboring areas. The Guide to Real Estate has data regarding what has sold and what is currently listed, as well as many surprising facts that you might not know. Not to mention, our Guide spotlights quite a few of the aspects of life in Northern Virginia. Of course, all of this is helpful for buyers and sellers, but property owners and tenants should also find this information to be very informative.
Our Broker Will Nesbitt
![Will Nesbitt](http://nesbittrealty.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Brick-17-1024x928.jpg)
"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
![Will Nesbitt Julie Nesbitt Aubrey Nesbitt](https://nesbittrealty.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Outside-5-1024x900.jpg)
I like tenants that pay on time. Late paying tenants cause extra work and unnecessary stress for landlords and property managers. ~ Julie Nesbitt