Property Managers in Yuba Co. - Any good ones?

[Bob Beach]

I just passed the one-year mark with our current PM. I've had more disappointments than positive moments. From almost day one, mistakes were made, and I pay or argue to get them to chip in. They told me there would be an inspection on a certain day before the tenant moved in. After that, I get an email of small things to fix or clean. We drove up there (1.5 hours each way), resolve the issues on the list. Two days later, they go do another inspection and now there's "new" things to resolve and they claimed, that was the "real" inspection.  So we end up paying them to resolve those issues. Then, the gas stove had an issue. They sent their guy out and he calls me and says, it needs some parts. I ordered the parts, had them sent to his place. When he gets them, he says, he won't install them because of a gas line was bent and I should buy a new stove, He kept the parts.  More recently, the hot water heater had a leak. From everything I can see from photos and the repair guy, it had been leaking for a while, long enough to have black mold all over the base platform and up the wall behind it including rotting the base so it needed replacing. I sent the PM about 10 legal documents that say, the tenant is responsible to report a leak right away or they are responsible. They had to know about it since the water went passed the door going into the house from the garage. They would have to step over the water. Cost me and extra $300 for the mold and repair to the base. PM says, they talked to, I believe the director, and he said the tenants are in no way responsible.  They seem to be on the tenants' side when I'm paying them.  So now I told them to do an inspection of the house in case there is some other issue. The charge is $100.  In an email, they only said they did the inspection, and the house is being taken care of. I asked to see the report with photos and no response. Second request, no response. Third request, after a week, they said they would have photos soon. I have a feeling; they didn't do an inspection but maybe just a quick look and was going to charge $100 for that. 

So, any good PMs in Yuba County?  And don't say "Trident". Thanks for any suggestions. 

[Michael Smythe]

@Bob Beach

Recommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.

Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.

Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.

Even if someone gives you a referral here, do NOT make the mistake of assuming that the PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.

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, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

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!

A well written management contract should clearly spell out what is expected of both the PMC and the owner, to PROTECT both and avoid misunderstandings. Why do you think purchase contracts are so long and have such small print?

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😊

https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91878-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-2-communication-and-docum

https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91879-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-3-the-management-contr