Self-managing and going on vacation

[Clint Pearcy]

Hello folks, 

For those that self manage, what do you do when you go out of cell service? My wife and I are travel junkies, but have not left the country since early 2020 for obvious reasons.  Prior to 2020, we had no responsibilities here at home preventing us from falling off the radar.  Now, we have two SFRs that we self-manage, and have scheduled our first international travel since 2019.  We will not have cell phone coverage, or even the option from what I understand, and will have very limited wifi access. 

I thought about getting with some of the vendors I normally use (plumbers, HVAC, etc...) to see if I could set them up with my credit card information, then distribute a vendor list to my tenants before leaving, though I'd rather they not know I'm traveling.   I found a post from 2011 regarding this topic, but ideas and technology have advanced since then, so I thought I would seek some fresh information from those that have had to deal with this situation. 

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Clint Pearcy:

There's no need to set up credit cards with vendors you may never use. Vendors can usually wait 30 days for payment which should provide enough time for you to check in with your tenants, determine the vendor(s), and make payment.

Leave a list of trusted vendors with your Tenants and very strict rules and examples of when they can call: plumber, electrician, handyman.

Make it clear that if they call for something that was unnecessary, they may have to pay the cost.