What we look for in Northern Virginia tenants
In Northern Virginia, our team likes to deal with reasonable renters. Here are a few of the traits we look for.
- A renter 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 honest. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
- A tenant is neat. A tenant does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
- A renter does not overwork the property.
- A tenant is courteous and easy to get along with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A tenant doesn't annoy neighbors.
- A tenant reports problems when appropriate. tenants 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 tenant doesn't ask to replace 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 tenant doesn't know how to operate the appliance.
- A renter does not smoke in the property.
- A tenant 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 live 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 unreasonable tenants.
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 assess applicants based upon their track record and their actions. If a applicant is rude to our staff at the beginning, they will probably be rude as tenants. If a makes false statements, we will expect them to be dishonest as a tenant. If a has difficulty finding fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same applicant will have troubles during the lease.
But even if every statement initially is promising we still check the background of each person with a complete background check. Every potential renter 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
Elementary information regarding management services in Northern Virginia.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
Find A Tenant
Market your property to rent to find a reliable renter in Northern Virginia fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for property owners?
Cost
A breakdown of prices of rental management services in Northern Virginia
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty vets renters for landlords.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rentals?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a free source for rental investors in Northern Virginia
- Before you move a tenant into your investment in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the tenant
- During tenancy
- End of lease term and what happens when a renter breaks the lease
- How does the landlord get paid?
- How your property management company handles the association and your community
- How your management company handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Management finds renters
- Insurance matters for landlords using our rental management
- How Nesbitt Management handles keys
- Northern Virginia property owner responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your rental investment in Northern Virginia
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your rental
- When landlords don't yet know their new address
- Vetting renters 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 property managers in Northern Virginia and the information which we have verified. Ultimately the real estate investor decides if the risk is worth taking, but they make that decision based upon facts and our expert advice.
Do you want understand more about this community?
Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a free tool for everyone who wants to learn more about Northern Virginia and neighboring communities. The Guide to Real Estate has information about what has sold and what is on the market, as well as many shocking facts that you might not know. And, our Guide features quite a few of the fundamentals of residing in Northern Virginia. As might be expected, all of this is useful for buyers and sellers, but real estate investors and tenants will probably also find these resources to be very 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