Quick Answer: A tenant screening report typically returns five things: a credit report and score, a criminal background search, an eviction history search, income and employment verification, and prior landlord references. The report itself is the easy part. The decisions come from having written criteria set before you ever pull it,...

We have had a version of this conversation many times. Somebody gets their onward assignment, the clock starts, and within about a week they are trying to decide what to do with a house in Vienna or Alexandria or Woodbridge while also handling everything else that comes with moving a family overseas.The advice they get is usually confiden...

Quick Answer: Fall maintenance on a Northern Virginia rental comes down to five jobs: service the heating system, clear the gutters and check drainage, seal the obvious air leaks, shut off and drain the exterior spigots, and replace smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries. Done in October, that list runs a few hundred dollars. S...

Renting out a home on a standard homeowner's policy leaves a dangerous gap, because that policy generally isn't designed for a tenant-occupied property and a major claim may be denied. Northern Virginia landlords need landlord insurance for liability, loss of rental income, and rental property damage—and should require tenan...

A vague or outdated lease is where landlords lose disputes. The clauses most often missing cover the late-rent process, maintenance and reporting duties, guest and occupancy limits, property alterations, a renters insurance requirement, and clear move-out expectations. Northern Virginia leases should also be reviewed against Virginia'...

Normal wear and tear is the ordinary deterioration from everyday living and can't be charged to a tenant, while damage from negligence or misuse can be deducted from the deposit. Northern Virginia landlords stay on the right side of the line by documenting move-in and move-out condition, depreciating for age, and itemizing every deduc...

Property management isn't done by systems—it's done by people who show up. We spend a lot of these posts talking about systems, laws, and market data. But property management isn't really done by systems. It's done by people who care.So this month, we want you to meet Vicky.Vicky is a Team Leader of one of our proper...

Vacancy between tenants is often a landlord's biggest hidden cost—easily $5,000 or more per turn on a typical Northern Virginia rental. Owners reduce it by responding quickly to maintenance, pricing renewals to retain good tenants, and treating renewals as a relationship rather than a transaction.There's a number most landlo...

Maintenance is the number-one landlord headache, and a shrinking pool of skilled trades is making it harder. Northern Virginia landlords stay ahead by lining up trusted vendors before they're needed, doing preventive seasonal checks, setting up a real after-hours system, and defining what counts as an emergency.Ask a hundred landlords...

Virginia Changed the Rules on Tenant Payment Fees. Here's What Landlords Need to Check.Quick Answer: As of July 1, 2026, Virginia landlords covered by the VRLTA can't charge tenants a payment processing fee that exceeds the landlord's actual third-party cost, and they must offer at least one payment option that's comp...