Self managed landlords, do you give tenants your cell?

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Self managed landlords, do you give tenants your cell?

Landon Rasmussen
Member since 2018 · 13 posts · 18 votes

I'm in the process of closing on my first property. I plan to be self managed. It's a 3 unit that is currently fully occupied. All tenants are on month to month agreements which means that it's possible for me to need to start looking for new tenants at almost any point. 

My question is this: when searching for new tenants and posting your property without a real estate agent, do you use your personal cell as a point of contact or do you do something else? Do you have a separate cell phone? 

Same question applies to tenants you already have. How do they get a hold of you when they call? 

I'm not so sure I want to give out my personal cell number to everyone that applies or even to tenants I might end up with. How do you deal with this problem?

Thanks in advance everyone!

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Chris Ellis
Lender · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2017 · 106 posts · 75 votes
8y

A great source for a free number is through Google Voice. Create or login to a gmail account. Open a new tab and go to https://google.com/voice and set up a free number to use. This can forward directly to your cell without having to give them your personal number. 

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  • Brad King
    Member since 2018 · 1 post · 0 votes
    8y
    @Sylvia B. I do the same thing. I also provide a timeline for repairs based on importance.
    0Reply
  • Mitchlyn D.
    Rental Property Investor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2015 · 343 posts · 142 votes
    8y
    @Landon Rasmussen Hell yeah! And no issues as of yet.
    0Reply
  • Bob H.
    Rental Property Investor · Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2014 · 415 posts · 272 votes
    8y

    I doubt that this thread needs yet another reply, but here goes...

    First, I've been a landlord for 19 years and never have gotten a call from a tenant in the middle of the night. That concern is widely exaggerated, and I agree with others here who say you should be accessible.

    More on Google Voice: I use different Google numbers and email addresses for two geographic areas, so my advertising and contact information looks local. Calls to those numbers are forwarded to both my cell and home phones. Text messages and voicemail also are forwarded to my email inbox. At home I use an Obihai Obi200 VOIP box with a Google Voice "home" number and both of the numbers I use for rentals. I've set up the ring tones to be different for the three lines, so I can tell which line is being called. Beyond the one-time small cost of the Obihai box, all this is free. An add-on from Callcentric for $1.50 a month gives me E911 service and caller ID with name on the home number. (Google Voice has caller ID with numbers only.)

    0Reply
  • Mark Fries
    Contractor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    8y
    @Landon Rasmussen Yes. All my tenants have my cell number. I am a self managing landlord...that's my job, I chose it..why wouldnt I want them to call me?
    0Reply
  • Todd F.
    Investor · Riverside, CA · Member since 2014 · 239 posts · 177 votes
    8y
    @Landon Rasmussen I thought I was a weird one for giving my tenants my cell when I started reading the first few comments in this thread, then I saw @JD Martin comment and it made me feel better about my decision. He is so right about weeding out the bums. Secondly, if you have good trust and good tenants, it shows trust and I’ve have numerous times where my tenants text or call and let me know about major issues that need addressing immediately. An example of one instance was there was a busted water line under one of my units and was flooding the crawl space. This needed to be addressed immediately, and on top of that I pay the water bill so it helped my wallet immensely
    2Reply
  • Mike WilliamsPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Canton, GA · Member since 2017 · 66 posts · 20 votes
    8y

    Another vote for Google Voice. It's a no-brainer in my opinion. 

    0Reply
  • Juan Gonzalez
    Member since 2018 · 1 post · 1 vote
    8y

    I did with my first two properties and don't recommend it. I got a Google number and recommended you do the same. 

    1Reply
  • Mike H.
    Rental Property Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2017 · 127 posts · 75 votes
    8y

    Yes they have it. I self manage 3 properties. It's not really an issue. 

    0Reply
  • Bob Prisco
    Specialist · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 666 votes
    8y

    @Landon Rasmussen heck no, set up another # so they can leave a message 

    0Reply
  • Jonathan Herron
    Attorney · NJ · Member since 2018 · 120 posts · 58 votes
    8y

    You can create a gmail email address for your rental business.  Get a google voice number connected to that email and use that as a business phone.  It can be forwarded to your personal cell.  Any text messages also get sent to your email address as a copy.  

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    8y

    5 pages of responses...

    I do not provide my cell for acquiring new tenants - no way. I market online and have open houses. Once someone becomes a tenant, they get my number and I want them to call me at 3 am if water is leaking through the ceiling - I will direct them to the shut off and then come in the morning to fix it. If they want to harass me, ever, they get the boot. This is a people business and respect goes both ways.

    0Reply
  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Sean Rhodes:
    @JD Martine what is your screening process??

    Screening process starts with providing a good set of pictures and as much honest information about the property as possible in my advertisements and on our website. That allows some people to self-select themselves out of the process when they can see that the house doesn't meet their needs or is not located in their desired area. Showing information is usually provided in the advertisement (i.e., twice per week on Wed and Saturday) and from this point you find out how well people can follow instructions (i.e. call the office at designated hours, etc). Someone will conduct a quick phone interview with the person when they make contact - nothing real heavy but weed out the people that have 10 cats and things like that - and set up a viewing time. These are usually stacked so that the no-shows don't create additional burden. No-shows are then weeded out of the process. The people that see the property are then encouraged, if they're interested, to go online and complete the preliminary application. There's instructions on filling out the application and our minimum terms (3x the rent, etc). People who were undesirable at the showing are noted and are *not* encouraged to fill out an application, and if they do anyway it is duly noted. This is people who have a bad attitude, look like they (and their car, always try to peek in windows - how they keep their car is how they'll keep your house) just crawled out of a sewer, etc. 

    Once a desirable person has completed the preliminary application and qualifies, they move on to the "credit/background/eviction" screening portion, where they pay for the service. Those that don't complete this step aren't serious or can't pass, which further self-selects people out of the mix. When they do complete this service, some are eliminated. This is usually people with a serious felony or multiple felonies, a ton of things they're paying for on a $10/hour job, defaults or evictions, etc. We weed those people out. The ones that can pass this step then get a copy of the lease to sign and a deadline to sign & pay (generally 48 hours). Those that don't make it - they can't come up with the money, they want to put the lease in their back pocket while they look for other stuff, etc - get weeded out as well. Those that sign but don't pay are weeded out.  

    By the time we have a signed lease and payment, we have pretty much thinned the herd to only the choice applicants. It's worked pretty well for us so far.

    @Chris Carrella

    Podcast Guest on Show #243
    Skyline Properties
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  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Chris Carrella:
    @JD Martin I like your philosophy here. I’m still new at this, and not to change the subject, but I’m curious about your screening processes.

     Hi Chris see above.

    Podcast Guest on Show #243
    Skyline Properties
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  • Chris Carrella
    Accountant · Nassau County, NY · Member since 2018 · 8 posts · 4 votes
    8y

    @JD Martin thanks very much for the in depth explaination, it is much appreciated and very helpful!!

    1Reply
  • Donald S.
    Accountant · Saint Louis, MO · Member since 2017 · 409 posts · 362 votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Justin K.:
    I tested Google voice and found it more annoying than anything. Being asked what number I wanted to call out from etc. got old quick.

    I do give my tenants my personal cell number. Usually I'll allow it to go to VM and return the call when it's convenient or immediately if it's urgent. The only time this has been a problem is when my one tenant texts excessively asking when the plow company will be doing rounds during the winter months.

    I've only used CL for postings and try to keep all communications through email. So far it's worked well for the handful of vacancies I've had in my 8 units.

     The ability to select which number to call from is an option in google voice, you can also select the option so any calls made from inside the GV app are placed with the GV # and calls from outside that app are made with your carrier #. I feel your "test" of GV wasn't very thorough (sic). But to each their own. 

    Personally i use GV (Google Voice) for anything related to my business and my business email is the email associated with the number. If I take a vacation I can assign another phone to get the texts and calls for that GV # so someone who's in town will be able to handle the matter.  

    0Reply
  • Nic DeAngelo
    Investor · Newport Beach, CA · Member since 2010 · 86 posts · 24 votes
    8y

    We use Grasshopper or Google Voice 100% of the time! In the past I have made this mistake and ended up with years of headache calls and texts, EVEN when using a management company (we do our own leasing in house) and directing the tenants there. The tenants have often not shown interest in changing contact to the property managers.

    0Reply
  • Dawn Quinn
    Marietta, GA · Member since 2015 · 23 posts · 13 votes
    8y

    My google voice goes directly to my cell I have a different ring so I know it’s Property related.  All voice mAils and texts go to gmail and I save them, just in case.   I can even texted from my computer and I accept all applications through text because all texts go to emails.   So highly recommend!   Only bad part is you can’t see who is calling.   And remember to clean out voicemail.   Thx Dawn

    0Reply
  • Timothy W.
    Member since 2018 · 37 posts · 7 votes
    8y

    Adding to the already tons of replies in this thread, Google voice gets another vote! I wouldn't prefer giving my personal number to tenants, although its not an issue considering they are all decent people. So either use a second number or use Google Voice.

    Cheers,

    Tim

    0Reply
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