Need help. Brainstorming session. PM wants to quit due to crime

[Brian H.]

He folks, hope you are all well. So the title says it mostly.  This is stressful.

I have 5 buildings totaling 11 units. They are all on the same property. I'm having increased issues with crime around two of the buildings. It's been slowly getting worse over the last 3 months. One building is empty right now and someone broke in one of the units and had been squatting, based on all the stuff, and then I guess tried to light a fire to catch the building on fire? So there is that. PMs nailed windows shut. Then someone got back in somehow.

Next, they finally moved someone into the other building and she was robbed, had her car broken into, and her gas siphoned out of her car. There have been on and off other crime issues over the last few months. This REALLY upset the PMs because it looks awful on their company and they had been doing a lot to help me really find renters for all the empty units and whatnot, on top of dealing with crime/insane tenants they evicted for me.

Basically, the property management company is saying that the amount of time they are having to spend on these units has become too much for the fee and their staffing. I can't manage these myself and I don't live there. It is a small town. These are very much low-income rentals. Lots of people on disability. So some unsavory characters end up there from time to time. The one tenant that has more of these sketchy people around is an old man that is really nice but his family and people are awful. We are fairly sure his grandson sells drugs out of there and has been breaking into the other units. We think he may sell out of the unit that the lady had been just moved into and was mad that he couldn't use that spot anymore...

Anyways, this is all obviously ridiculous. They didn't use to be like this. So much crime. I need help figuring out how I can keep the property managers. They do a good job and there isn't another company in the area since it is small. These properties have a fantastic ROI.

Do you think approaching them saying I am willing to install security cameras? And pay them more to help me out? And we probably should evict the older fellow because he's been talked to about his people that are always around and don't do anything to control them and keep some from coming around. That way they are all gone... but I do worry about some retaliation in the immediate future if we do that.

I'm desperate lol any ideas??? Thank you SOOOO much!

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Brian H.:

Do you think approaching them saying I am willing to install security cameras? And pay them more to help me out? And we probably should evict the older fellow because he's been talked to about his people that are always around and don't do anything to control them and keep some from coming around. That way they are all gone... but I do worry about some retaliation in the immediate future if we do that.

I'm desperate lol any ideas??? Thank you SOOOO much!

Brian, I'm sorry to hear for your troubles. The PM is definitely right to fire you (no offense) because a property like this can be a complete drain on their staff with no end in sight. I think most managers would turn you down.

You can try talking to the PM to see if they'll help you find a solution. Security cameras may work, but they need to be monitored constantly. You could ask the police to patrol more, but that's too easy for bad guys to circumvent.

What I think you need is a constant presence. If your PM could find someone willing to live in the vacant building (paid or renting for free?) that could actively monitor the property, clean it up, and keep it clean. You should also consider whether one of your tenants is attracting this type of activity? Is there anyone in your property that's involved with drugs, parties, prostitution, etc.? Birds of a feather...

What's the condition of the property? If it looks like trash, it attracts trash. When you have a vacant building with boarded up windows, that doesn't sound like a property that's going to attract quality renters, even at lower rates. Fresh paint? Parking? Weeds and trash? Are the common areas clean and secure?

There are a lot of questions to ask and you need to be honest with yourself. Maybe ask another property manager to inspect the property and see what they think it needs.

Good luck!