What we look for in Northern Virginia renters
In Northern Virginia, Nesbitt Realty likes to work with reasonable tenants. Here are a few of the traits we seek out.
- A renter pays the rent on time every month. This means paying on or before the first, rather than at 5 pm on the 5th.
- A renter is honest. A tenant does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
- A renter is reasonably clean. A tenant does not attract pests like rodents and bugs.
- A tenant does not damage systems.
- A tenant is courteous and pleasant to work with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A tenant doesn't disturb neighbors.
- A renter complains at appropriate times. tenants that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause issues for property managers.
- A tenant doesn't complain when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't demand 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 tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
- A tenant does not smoke in the home.
- A tenant is looking for a lease 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 ideal? Experience has taught us that tardy renters can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a nose for sniffing out bad tenants.
Our Five Step Process
Fair Housing Laws and our conscience dictates that we do not judge people in Northern Virginia based upon appearance. Experience has taught us that appearances can be very decieving. We do however judge people based upon their history and their actions. If a applicant is rude to us from the outset, they will probably be difficult as renters. If a makes false statements, we will expect them to be untrustworthy as a tenant. If a has difficulty finding fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same potential renter will have difficulty while they are in the rental.
But even when every appearance initially is promising we still check the background of each potential tenant with a full background check. Every applicant 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 Rental Management Resources
Basics
Basic info about what management services in Northern Virginia.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a dependable renter in Northern Virginia fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for landlords?
Cost
A breakdown of prices of rental management in Northern Virginia
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of renters for landlords.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental investments?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a free source for rental investors in Northern Virginia
- Before you lease out your investment in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the tenant
- During tenancy
- End of tenancy and what happens when a tenant breaks the lease
- How does the rental investor get paid?
- How your property manager 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
- 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
- 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 owner based upon our experience as rental managers in Northern Virginia and the information that 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.
Do you want know more about our local real estate market?
Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a free resource for everyone who needs to find out more about Northern Virginia and surrounding communities. The Guide to Real Estate provides facts about what has sold and what is on the market, as well as many compelling facts that you may not know. Not to mention, our Guide has some aspects of living in Northern Virginia. Of course, most of this is useful for purchasers and sellers, but owners and tenants might also find the facts to be somewhat sobering.
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