What we look for in Northern Virginia tenants
In Northern Virginia, our team prefers to deal with reasonable renters. Here are a few of the traits we seek out.
- A tenant pays the rent when due every month. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
- A renter is trustworthy. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
- A tenant is fussy about cleanliness. A tenant does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
- A tenant does not damage systems.
- A tenant is courteous and pleasant to get along with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A renter doesn't bother neighbors.
- A renter complains at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause issues for property managers.
- A renter doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a tenant doesn't ask to replace 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 tenant does not smoke in the property.
- A renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the owner wants to rent the property.
So this is what we're looking for in a renter, but how do we find tenants who measure up to this ideal? Experience has taught us that difficult renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out troublesome renters.
Our Five Step Process
Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge potential renters 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 difficult with our managers at the beginning, they will probably be rude as renters. If a is caught fabricating facts, we will 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 troubles while they are in the rental.
But even when every appearance initially is good we still check the background of each potential renter 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
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Basics
Elementary 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
Market 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 property owners?
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Cost
A list of prices of rental management in Northern Virginia
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Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of 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 good archive for landlords in Northern Virginia
- Before you put a renter in your rental 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 rental manager handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Management finds renters
- Insurance matters for property owners using our property management
- How Nesbitt Management handles keys
- Northern Virginia landlord 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 owners don't yet know their new address
- Vetting tenants in Northern Virginia
More Information About Northern Virginia
Our recommendation
After the background check is complete 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 understand more about this local real estate market?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a free resource for anyone who hopes to learn more about Northern Virginia and neighboring communities. The Guide to Real Estate compiles information about what has sold and what is on the market, as well as many compelling facts that you might not know. Furthermore, our Guide spotlights many of the fundamentals of life in Northern Virginia. Definitely, all of this is interesting for buyers and sellers, but real estate investors and tenants will likely also find this information to be very enlightening.
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