What we seek in Northern Virginia tenants
In Northern Virginia, Nesbitt Realty likes to deal with reliable renters. Here are some 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 honest. A renter does not sneak in a co-renter or pet.
- A tenant is neat. A tenant does not bring pests like rodents and bugs.
- A renter does not overwork systems.
- A tenant is courteous and pleasant to get along with. A tenant knows the difference between a property manager and a hotel concierge.
- A renter doesn't bother neighbors.
- A renter reports problems when appropriate. Renters that don't report maintenance issues cost landlords money and cause head-aches for property managers.
- A renter doesn't gripe when it's not appropriate. This means that a renter doesn't ask to replace functioning systems. A renter 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 renter is looking for a lease that is as long as the owner wants to rent the home.
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 tardy renters 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 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 our managers at the outset, they will probably be rude as tenants. If a lies, we can expect them to be unreliable as a tenant. If a has troubles finding fundsfor background fees and the first month of rent, we can expect that same potential tenant will have difficulty during the lease.
But even when every action initially is promising we still vet every potential renter with a complete 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 Rental Management Resources
Basics
Basic information regarding management services in Northern Virginia.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with rental property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a great renter in Northern Virginia fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for property owners?
Cost
A list 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 handy archive for property owners in Northern Virginia
- Before you put a renter in your rental property 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 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 finished 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 landlord decides if the risk is worth taking, but they make that decision based upon facts and our expert advice.
Do you need know more about our local real estate market?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a free tool for everyone who hopes to find out more about Northern Virginia and surrounding communities. The Guide to Real Estate provides information regarding what has sold and what is for sale, as well as a few compelling facts that you might not know. Furthermore, our Guide highlights some fundamentals of residing in Northern Virginia. Definitely, all of this is helpful for purchasers and sellers, but owners and tenants will also find this information to be somewhat 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