Property Management

A property manager can help streamline the entire process of renting your property. They have professional experience with screening tenants, marketing properties effectively to reduce vacancy periods, and preparing the properties for rent. This means less time spent on dealing with your rental, and more peace of mind for you.

We view the property and determine what may need to be done to the home to ensure it is appealing to a tenant and safe and that everything is in working order. We take pictures of the home to market it and determine a price with the Owner.

We have a property management agreement for one year with the owners. It states each party’s responsibilities, the amount of the management fee, the reserve funds, the fee to a realtor who brings the tenant and the dates of the agreement.

We issue an ACH transaction on the 12th of every month unless it falls on a weekend or holiday then it is typically 1-2 days after that date. We send Owners a monthly statement showing monies going in and out and we send receipts for any repairs that were completed. Owners also have a portal in which they can log into and see activity in their account, receipts and leases.

Tenants use an online portal to pay rent or with a cashiers check or money order delivered to the office. We do not accept personal checks or payments in the mail.

Tenants are charged an initial late fee and a per day late fee after that until rent is paid. By the 5th day, we send a certified notice to pay rent, or the file goes to the eviction attorneys. We handle the legal procedure for the owner.

We market properties thru our software program that sends the listings to Zillow. We do pay out-of-pocket to have rentals on Zillow. We also enter the home into the Multiple Listing Service where it then populates to many websites offering real estate services like Homes,com, Realtor,com and others. If we offer a commission to a Realtor who brings the tenant, that costs comes out of the owner’s proceeds.

It’s essential to perform a full background check, which includes a credit and criminal history check. We also verify their employment, income, and rental history to check for falsehoods, previous evictions, or a history of late payments. We like to see proof of income equal to 2-1/2 to 3 times the rent.

It can depend on the property, since no two are alike. But if you work with professionals to prepare your property, you should estimate the following times to complete any needed updates:

• 3 days for cleaning and relatively minor updates (minor damage, holes in walls, etc.) 
• 7 days for more complex updates (carpet, painting, appliance repair, and replacement)
• 2 to 3 weeks for major updates (flooring, plumbing, and electrical systems)

It can depend on the property, since no two are alike. But if you work with professionals to prepare your property, you should estimate the following times to complete any needed updates:

• 3 days for cleaning and relatively minor updates (minor damage, holes in walls, etc.) 
• 7 days for more complex updates (carpet, painting, appliance repair, and replacement)
• 2 to 3 weeks for major updates (flooring, plumbing, and electrical systems)

It’s a tempting idea, but you should remember that tenants and homebuyers are quite different. If a prospective tenant thinks your property is too expensive, they do not negotiate, they simply move on to the next property. Many tenants actually put a minimum and maximum rent they’re willing to pay when searching properties online, so if you inflate the price, your listing won’t even be displayed to a good number of searchers. This means you could lose out on qualified tenants, and your property will remain vacant longer.

A newly available property tends to be the strongest during the first two weeks of advertising, with a sharp drop-off afterwards. To avoid losing money on a property that is just sitting vacant, you should list your best price first.

It depends. If this is the only offer you’ve received from a qualified tenant, and you need to rent quickly, this can be a viable option. The rate is typically higher on month-to-month leases. We prefer one year lease term with an annual renewal.

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin or sex. As a property manager, we must not discriminate in any of these categories when screening potential tenants. When we deny an application, we notify them in writing the reason for denial.

We contact the tenant and let them know that the bank refused the check and have charged our account for an NSF fee of $35 that the tenant must pay. We inform them that we will only accept certified funds, such as a cashiers check, to make the payment.

Think of yourself as a business owner, and the tenant as your customer – so we should do our best to remedy their reasonable complaints as quickly as possible.

We provide tenants with a system they can use to send maintenance requests 24/7. For emergencies, we are bound by state laws to handle them right away. If the problem puts the tenant’s health and safety at risk, we could be liable for not attending to it immediately. This includes no AC in temperatures over 100 degrees, no electricity, or no water. We have someone in our office who monitors repair requests daily.

We use licensed professionals for all heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical work, and many other repairs. We have some handymen we use for minor repairs.

The landlord pays for repairs, most of the time. This generally counts normal wear and tear on the property, unless you can show that the tenant caused damage or was negligent. If it is a tenant caused repair, we charge the tenant.

State laws vary on the details, but in general we are responsible for completing all repairs and keeping the premises in an inhabitable condition. This includes:

Maintain in good and safe working order and condition: electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, kitchen, and other appliances, that are supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord

Minor issues or older appliances do not generally mean a unit is uninhabitable, but we do our best to ensure that repairs are completed in a timely manner, while complying with any applicable laws.

Landlord insurance can cover damages to the property caused by natural disasters, break-ins, etc. Disaster-specific policies, such as earthquakes, may need to be taken out separately. Liability insurance is essential to cover you in case of tenant lawsuits. We strongly suggest tenants to take out a renters insurance policy, so that they are covered in case of a fire or other incident that damages their belongings. 

This is ultimately up to you. Allowing pets means you can select from a wider pool of prospective tenants, but it also opens up the potential for liabilities. Is your property suitable for pets? Are you willing to make modifications, such as dog doors, as needed?

Generally speaking, the parent is responsible for any and all damages, whether the damage was caused intentionally or accidentally by their child. The maximum amount of damages can vary by state.

A tenant may not unreasonably deny access, refuse entry, or withhold consent to enter the rental if an owner, agent, or manager needs to make repairs. The general protocol to follow for entering a rental unit is as follows:

Enter as infrequently as possible.

Always give ample notice and allow your tenant to reschedule if needed. In Arizona, it is 48 hours for the property manager and a 5-day notice for owners to view the property.

Always enter with a clearly defined objective in mind.