All Forum Posts by: Anna Sagatelova

I agree 100% with @Mike McCarthy - if your tenant stops paying, there is no magical way for your new PM to get them to pay up. I just would hate for you to pay for this PM and end up disappointed, and also take it out on the PM when they're charging you management fees and you're not getting rents.

Other than that, vet the PMs you talk to not only on their rent collection/enforcement and eviction processes and how updated you will be, but also on their rent-ready process, marketing/showings procedure, and tenant screening criteria. Be clear on all fees that may apply.

Once you're ready to take that step, make sure you know when the PM will reach out to your tenant, and give them a very simple heads up first. "Hello, I have hired a property management company. All future correspondence and payments need to go to them. Their name is _____ and they'll be contacting you soon." The key is after this - you should no longer correspond with your tenants. If they are really trying to be manipulative, they will likely try to go straight to you and you will just need to report any such communications to the PM and not respond (unless there's truly an emergency, of course). 

One word of advice - never schedule the change to occur right before rent is due. So if you're planning to have your new PM responsible for collecting Nov rent on Nov 1, you need to act fast so as not to have this introduction happening in the last few days of October.

I agree with the others, I am not familiar with Jacksonvillen neighborhoods but here in Cleveland, there are areas where we don't manage because we would have to significantly lower our screening criteria to qualify anyone who realistically applies there. If your PM doesn't normally manage in the neighborhood/zip code where you purchased, it may be that their screening criteria doesn't fit there.

The PM should go by what's in their agreement. It would make more sense for them to charge you separate admin fees for the utility handling and the collection of coins from the laundry room. However if there is no such admin fee, maybe their operations are not structured to operate this kind of rental with utility bill backs and coin-op laundry so they're just trying to get paid for that work somehow someway. They should be 100% transparent with you, and should have been from the start of your contract.

@Thadeous Larkin I think you're taking a very kind approach and seeing it through your tenant's eyes, which is refreshing. Given that it's the stove and dishwasher that are at issue, perhaps a gift card to a local restaurant would make sense? I'm sure they'd be grateful for a takeout meal on their landlord and it eases the burden of making a meal without a stove (and fewer dishes to wash by hand), even if for one evening. You'd also be supporting a local business this way.

@James Mcsweeney I'd say that this depends on what your purpose of wanting the review is. Do you want a testimonial so future renters can see you've gone above and beyond expectations in some way? Are you trying to get referrals from your current tenants to fill other vacancies?

@Lokesh C. that sounds frustrating but given that timeline, I wouldn't panic just yet. They let you know someone is looking into your question, which tells me they at least prioritize acknowledging client emails, even if it takes them longer than expected to respond with substance. It can certainly be difficult to get ahold of property management companies when you call, as staff will typically deal with a high call volume as well as internal periods of unavailability.

If I were in your shoes, I would email and copy in other people from the organization, if you know any, and just express that you're very concerned that you have had total silence since last week and you need to hear from someone by tomorrow.

If they are paying, just keep collecting. I don't know what market your property is in, but in Cleveland, we have had a very busy leasing season. If it slows down, it would be due to more inventory opening up, not due to COVID. Keep them M2M for a while longer and just see how it goes. If you are confident that they are solid tenants, you can get them on a longer lease, but you can't screen/qualify tenants that are already living there (check your own state and local rules - this is based on my own experience and consultations with attorneys in Cleveland).

How long have you not been able to reach your PM company?

Hi all, PM here.

If a PM was responsible for the screening, their screening procedure absolutely should include past residential history with contact information for each landlord. You should ask them about their full process and go with a PM that has a comprehensive screening procedure that goes beyond a background check.

In any case, you have a lot of people here saying that a background check tells you more than a random stranger/neighbor, and I'm here to say that is not always the case. There are plenty of drug dealers out there with no criminal record. I'm not saying you should trust every accusation, just that a clean background check is not alone a reason to dismiss a neighbor's complaint. It's just very unclear who this person actually is. Is it a former landlord? A former neighbor? A former roommate? A competing drug dealer?

Finally, read the lease this tenant signed. Aside from when it expires/whether it's M2M, do you have a "drug free housing" clause/addendum? That can be a way for you to evict immediately, if the issue turns out to be real.

@Peter Lohmann you pay the interest, by law, on an annual basis, not when they move out. So it's irrelevant whether they'd actually get their deposit back.

Very disheartening to hear that you'd ignore it unless a tenant brings it up.