Do you own the best rental property in your neighborhood and are still trying to get prospective tenants? The answer is simple. You have hired a bad property management company. You may have state-of-the-art designs with a hardwood floor, a patio, in-home lifts, portable saunas, and lap pools, but it all comes down to how good, or bad your property management company is.
A property manager has numerous day-to-day tasks to perform and look after so that everything runs smoothly. If any of the responsibilities are forsaken, everything will eventually crumble down. After entrusting your investment to a property management specialist, you deserve nothing less than perfection. However, if, unfortunately, you fall into the wrong hands, your investment can turn into a nightmare.
If you feel you are facing something similar, do not worry. We will guide you on how and what to do next.
Signs of a Good Property Management Specialist
A property management company ensures tenant occupancy and profitability and looks at day-to-day repairs, maintenance, and security. They help the owner generate income by preserving the value of the property. Before you can decide if your property management company benefits you, here are some key factors to ponder over what they do.
Professional Relationship with Tenants:
A reliable property manager will understand the importance of keeping a friendly but professional attitude with the tenants. A good property specialist should focus on running background checks, avoiding leniency or favoritism, dealing with tenant complaints, and handling leases. It is ideal to have a property manager who is aware of state laws and abides by them. Having all policies written according to the rules will ensure clarity.
In-Depth Knowledge About Rental Market:
A trustworthy property manager will set the rental payments which are market appropriate, collect them timely, be strict about late payments, and increase the rent adhering to state laws. Moreover, every neighborhood is different. Your property manager must understand the local market up close to help improve your rental pay, reach out to prospective tenants from the database and advertising campaigns and effectively work on property improvement plans.
Maintenance:
Your property is an asset that needs to be maintained timely, with constant checks, repairs, and inspections. A good property management company will manage day-to-day and more significant fixtures like checking HVAC systems, maintaining residential elevators, walk-in closets, motion-sensor lighting, and many more to ensure your property does not lose its value. Taking up these responsibilities efficiently will boost your property and attract potential tenants.
Prompt Record Keeping:
A thorough record-keeping file should be maintained to avoid legal issues. These include property records like tax records, maintenance invoices, insurance policies, property ownership deeds, and tenant paperwork when they move in and out. You must also ensure that your property management specialist records all financial transactions, contractor files, and owner files. If all these essential records are filed accurately, it is safe to say that you are in good hands. Your documents will then be easy to manage and search.
Your property manager is your right hand. It is a red flag if you have hired a property manager who does not abide by the laws and does not help you generate your passive income. Your ineffective property manager can also get you sued. Make sure you do your research and find a professional property management company.
Reasons for you to Find a New Property Management Company
A property manager who does not do the job right can add more problems for you rather than solve them. Try to get ques before you hire a company. Unfortunately, you sometimes see the red flags after you start working with them. Look out for these critical points to help you decide if you need to find someone new.
Poor Communication:
Communication nowadays is a smooth process. We are all connected digitally and are easily reachable by a call or text. You should expect your property manager to be responsive within 24 hours. If the communication is irregular, it is a clear sign your tenant might also face this issue frequently. Especially when it comes to quick repairs, your tenant would expect a swift and prompt response. Unsatisfied tenants will likely terminate the contract early, costing you a loss.
Frequent Eviction Rate:
A shocking element is seeing your tenants leaving more often than the predicted timeline. You should be aware of your state’s average eviction rate, so it is easy to compare when you look for a new property management company. Finding a good tenant is an arduous task. A reputable property manager will screen prospective tenants by doing a thorough reference check, so you can avoid getting in trouble. Ensure you interrogate and get to know their eviction rates before hiring your property management company.
Uninformed About Fair Housing Regulations:
Property management companies which need to be more reputable will mostly be ignorant about state and federal laws and regulations. This is a highly alarming situation that should not be taken lightly. These laws are made to protect the rights of tenants and renters. Your property manager needs to clearly understand these laws so that your tenants do not have any complaints. If your tenant feels uncomfortable, it could lead to complicated severe legal matters, which can be very draining.
High Vacancy Rate:
A high vacancy rate indicates your property management company is failing to attract potential tenants. It could be because they are not offering a good deal or keeping the rates too high. Find yourself a property management company that does effective, hands-on marketing. Using advertisement tools like 3D tours can give buyers better insight into the property. Your property manager must have an efficient in-house team to look after the daily activities, so your tenants are satisfied and stay longer.
Delayed Payments:
Your rental property is your means to earn passive income. If that is hindered, it can be daunting. Your company may not be well-trained to get the payment from tenants on time, is not well organized, or is simply cheating and using the money for their purposes. Whatever the reason, you will need to find a new company at the earliest.
No Quality Check Inspections:
Inspections are one of the primary responsibilities of a property management company. Frequent checks are critically vital, so your property remains in good shape. If any repairs are needed to be done, it is better to fix them on time rather than wait for more extensive damage. Remember that your tenant can take legal action to end the lease if the property repairs are not taken care of after multiple requests. To keep everything running smoothly, your property management company must provide you with monthly and detailed annual inspection reports so you know everything.
How to Assess a Property Manager
Property managers nowadays are more than just hired to collect rent. They have significant responsibilities requiring a team of highly skilled professionals so your property benefits you and runs smoothly. For a start, you need to find a high-performing manager who can effectively take care of your asset. The question arises of how you would do so. We have outlined pointers to note to find the perfect property manager.
- Should Communicate Well
Your property manager primarily should be able to communicate effectively. Your tenants’ issues might add up if there is a communication gap. Communication is vital in any relationship. To deal with day-to-day activities/queries, your property manager must ensure that he keeps the tenants satisfied and the landlord updated about every ongoing situation. A responsive property manager will keep your business running by ensuring the rent is paid on time, facilitating the tenants with repairs and fixtures, and increasing tenant retention, boosting your property.
- Should Have a License
One of the most critical questions is whether your property managers hold a license to perform. It is essential to have a manager who can be trusted and follows all legal bindings and laws. This is also essential to know since you will be putting your faith in your manager to run your property and would want to avoid any legal mess in the future. Buying, selling, and leasing can only be practiced if your property management company is licensed otherwise, it becomes unlawful. Be careful and choose wisely.
- Their Experience in the Field
Make sure you ask your property manager how long they have been working. The longer their time in the business gives you a slight indication of their experience. With more experience, your property management company will have better skills. People skills will benefit from strong communication. Property skills will help in prompt repairs, fixtures, and handling day-to-day activities. With more exposure and experience, your property manager will better understand the real estate laws and how to adhere to them. Lacking this can lead to jail time, so be vigilant and find a skillful property manager.
- Their Vacancy and Eviction Rate
You should know how long your property manager can retain your tenants. If the vacancy rate is high, it clearly indicates that your manager might need to be more effective and responsible. A high vacancy rate could be due to numerous reasons, but it is not a good sign. Do your research and try to find out more about your property manager, so do not hire someone who adds more problems for you and your tenants rather than solves them.
The eviction rate is a highly crucial parameter to assess as well. It shows that your property manager lacks client dealing and keeps them unsatisfied, followed by early evictions. Find a property management company that makes your tenants happy because their satisfaction is primary for your passive income.
Red Flags to Watch Out for
Unfortunately, even if your property management company fits your needs perfectly, it may not be as you perceived. This is because your property manager can easily talk big and sell himself, but you get to learn more once the work starts. To save yourself from future problems, you must be highly vigilant before signing the contract.
Unprofessional Attitude:
Your property manager must prove himself reliable to be the face of your business. Having someone who looks uninterested and is not presentable can ruin the image altogether. Go for property management companies with skilled and professional employees who know their job and are equally presentable. Rude attitude, shabby looks, or lack of communication can adversely affect your property business. Be cautious about finding someone who takes care of your property like their own. A reputable company will make sure you get nothing less than perfect services.
No References:
Before you decide to hire a property management company that fits your criteria, ask for references. Reputable companies will have online customer feedback, which will give you a clearer picture of their authenticity. Moreover, trusted companies will provide you with references without even asking. They will sell their services by defining how their clients have been satisfied with their performance. Moreover, you can also search for other landlords who have used the benefits of the company you want to consider for yourself. Nothing works better than positive word of mouth for any service!
Late with Reverting:
Observe the property management companies which do not respond to your calls or messages in the early phase of your meetings. In the initial process, most good companies quickly revert and answer all your queries. If you feel they need to be improved, it can be an early cue that your property management company will work around the clock and may not cater to your tenants in an emergency.
Why is it Crucial to Replace a Bad Property Manager with a New One
If you feel something seems wrong with your property manager, acting quicker than waiting for something worse is better.
- An ineffective property manager who does not respond to you and your tenants timely is a liability. You keep paying but get nothing fruitful in return. Cut down your cost and find a property manager who diligently deals with the given responsibilities.
- You gain a poor image in front of your tenants, which can also lead to negative marketing. Unhappy tenants can take away future prospective ones too. This is an alarming situation and needs to be resolved without any delay.
- Lastly and most importantly, your rental income is primary for you. If your property manager creates a mess and leaves you and your tenants unanswered, it can bring your property business to a standstill. It can affect your turnover and eventually bring down your cash flow.
Alarming situations can force you to step down and lose your property. Before anything goes downhill, make sure you get a new property management company that takes care of your property and works towards bringing it back on the road to success.
Tips to Find a New Property Management Company
Once you finalize getting rid of the previous, ineffective property Management Company, search for a new, better and company to work with. Follow these easy tips we laid out for you, giving you a clear guideline for finding a reputed company.
- Do your research thoroughly. Today’s digitally advanced world gives you information at your fingertips. Try finding companies around you and then search their services like tenant screening, rent collections, etc., tenant reviews, their industry experience, fee structure, and clients they have already worked with. The stronger the research, the better for you to find a trustworthy company. Their available information will help you set your bar high.
- Interview multiple managers. Refrain from fixing on a few companies just because you heard positive reviews. Interview and interrogate them with your questions so everything is clear before taking the big step. Do not hesitate to ask questions because the more you ask, the better your understanding of the manager you seek who lives up to your expectation.
- Ask for references. There is nothing to hide when asking for a referral. You can only blindly trust a property manager once clients vouch for their services.
- Only work with property management companies that are licensed. The most crucial factor in finding out if you are working with a trusted brand is strictly working with those that follow the proper protocol. It saves you time and money. Working with someone you can trust will improve cash flow and save you from the hassle of dealing with unnecessary and unwanted problems. Licensed property managers will also be knowledgeable enough to help you in crucial matters and will be better at problem-solving.
If you are dealing with a property management company with all the alarming factors, it is time to take a step and choose a better manager who will save you from further damage. Call Arrant Construction right now, which has a team of highly skilled experts. It deals with numerous property management and maintenance services like risk and security, workspace and office space management, statuary compliance and reporting regime, restaurant, hospital, school, office and medical janitorial services, cyber security, etc.
So, what are you waiting for? Contact Arrant Construction for a property management company in Houston, TX.
