What we seek in Northern Virginia tenants
In Northern Virginia, Nesbitt Realty wants to work with dependable tenants. Here are some 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 trustworthy. A renter does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
- A renter is neat. A tenant does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
- A renter does not destroy systems.
- A tenant is courteous and nice to work with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A tenant doesn't disturb neighbors.
- A tenant reports problems at appropriate times. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause problems for property managers.
- A tenant 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 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 landlord wants to rent the property.
So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find tenants who measure up to this ideal? Experience has taught us that troublesome tenants can appear as polite, nicely-dress, well educated people with jobs. We have a knack for sniffing out troublesome tenants.
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 renters based upon their reputation and their actions. If a applicant is difficult with our managers from the beginning, they will probably be rude as tenants. If a lies, we will expect them to be unreliable as a renter. If a has a problem producing certified fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we can expect that same potential renter will have troubles while they are in the rental.
But even if every action 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 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 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 useful reference for property owners in Northern Virginia
- Before you rent out your investment in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the tenant
- During the lease term
- End of lease term and what happens when a tenant breaks the lease
- How does the rental investor get paid?
- How your management company handles the association and your community
- How your management company handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Management finds tenants
- Insurance matters for landlords using our property management
- How Nesbitt Management handles keys
- Northern Virginia landlord 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 property
- When property 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 finished we make a recommendation to the property 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 know more about our local real estate market?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a helpful resource for anyone who wants to review important real estate information about Northern Virginia and nearby areas. The Guide to Real Estate has facts regarding what has sold and what is for sale, as well as a couple of surprising facts that you may not know. Also, our Guide has some benefits of life in Northern Virginia. Naturally, all of this is useful for purchasers and sellers, but owners and renters might also find these resources to be somewhat informative.
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