Property Management Recommendations

[Robert Hasegawa]

Hi All, 

My business partner and I are looking for a new Property Management Company in the Philadelphia area.  We have a small business/personal friend who was helping manage our properties but his main hustle is stretching him thin to the point where he needs to let this side hustle of property management go.  We love the guy but we don't want to hold him down so here we are.

I did a quick check on Yelp and, man, there are some pretty horrible reviews of people getting burned by some really bad management companies and that really doesn't give me much confidence in searching from their listing.

Anyone have any personal recommendations?

Our have two investment properties (Single family) in the Mill Creek and Kensington areas of Philly.

Also, what's the general rule of thumb in pricing for such companies and what's the standard method of payment collection?  We have one property running at about $1,400/month and the other at $2,500/month.

Thanks for your time.

-Robert

[Drew Sygit]

@Robert Hasegawa 

In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.

It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator.

So, the first question they usually ask a PMC is about fees - instead of asking about services and HOW those services are executed.

EXAMPLE: PMC states they will handle tenant screening – what does that specifically mean? What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.? You’d be shocked by how little actual screening many PMC’s do!

This also leads owners to ASSUME simpler is better when it comes to management contracts.

The reality is the opposite - if it's not in writing then the PMC doesn't have to provide the service or can charge extra for it!

We have a 14-page management contract that we've added our real experiences to over the years, with the intent of protecting both us AND the landlord. Beyond the Monthly Management, Placement & Maintenance fees, all other fees in our contract are IF EVENT -> THEN fees.

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processes

We recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

P.S. If you just hire the cheapest or first PMC you speak with and it turns into a bad experience, please don’t assume ALL PMC’s are bad and start trashing PMC’s in general. Take ownership of your mistake and learn to do the proper due diligence recommended above😊