What we look for in Northern Virginia tenants
In Northern Virginia, our team wants to work with reliable tenants. Here are some 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 renter has integrity. A tenant does not sneak in a co-tenant or pet.
- A renter is fastidious. A tenant does not attract pests such as rodents and bugs.
- A tenant does not break systems.
- A renter is courteous and nice to get along with. A tenant understands the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A renter doesn't annoy neighbors.
- A tenant complains when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost real estate investors money and cause problems for property managers.
- A tenant doesn't complain 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 tenant 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 rental.
- A tenant is looking for a rental term that is as long as the real estate investor wants to rent the home.
So this is what we're looking for in a tenant, but how do we find tenants who live 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 knack for sniffing out bad 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 judge potential renters based upon their reputation and their actions. If a applicant is rude to our managers from the outset, they will probably be troublesome as renters. If a makes false statements, we will expect them to be untrustworthy as a renter. If a has difficulty producing money for background fees and the first month of rent, we will expect that same person will have difficulty while they are in the rental.
But even when every appearance initially is promising we still check the background of every person with a full background check. Every person and occupant must submit 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 Property Management Resources
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Basics
Elementary info regarding management services in Northern Virginia.
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Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with rental 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 landlords?
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Cost
A breakdown of prices of rental management services in Northern Virginia
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Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty vets tenants for our clients.
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Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
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Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage property?
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Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Landlord Reference
a handy archive for rental investors in Northern Virginia
- Before you rent out your rental in Northern Virginia
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the renter
- During the lease term
- End of lease term and what happens when a renter breaks the lease
- How does the landlord get paid?
- How your management company handles the association and your community
- How your rental manager handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Management finds renters
- Insurance matters for rental investors using our rental management
- How Nesbitt Management handles keys
- Northern Virginia property owner 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 investment
- When landlords don't yet know their new address
- Vetting tenants in Northern Virginia
More Information About Northern Virginia
Our recommendation
After the background check is reviewed we make a recommendation to the owner based upon our experience as rental managers in Northern Virginia and the information which we have verified. Ultimately the property owner 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 local real estate market?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a handy tool for anyone who hopes to learn more about Northern Virginia and surrounding areas. The Guide to Real Estate includes information regarding what has sold and what is currently listed, as well as some interesting facts that you may not be aware of. And, our Guide highlights quite a few of the aspects of residing in Northern Virginia. Certainly, all of this is useful for purchasers and sellers, but real estate investors and renters might also find these resources 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