All Forum Posts by: Holly N.

@Muhammad Abdullah,

     I'm going to be very honest. My PM has managed my 3 rental properties for the past 5 years and I live out of state(creating a very favorable condition for me to be taken advantage of). Her husband and selected team of contractors does the repairs. All I have to go on is her monthly account statements she sends in the form of "owner packets"which includes rental income , expenses, and bills/repairs in PDFs format. Therefore, there really is no way of me knowing if these repairs are actually happening or even if these repairs/work orders actually exist! I know I'm making some fundamental mistakes in being such a passive investor and I've let it go on for years now! I have never taken the time to contact my tenants. I was always worried my PM would think I didn't trust her or she would get mad. Please help!!!

Thanks for the reply! There is a lockbox outside the vacant apartment that vendors have a code to get into so I am not incurring any costs from PM for that .  Right now, I'm looking for help repairing a leaking roof. My property manager's husband is out of town this is why I am looking at other contractors to help me with the roof repair. It is hard to get the contractors to return a phone call or email. After one contractor emailed me an estimate of $800 to repair the roof, I started asking questions and was then told in a subsequent email that the estimate would now be $1000 pending no rotten wood was underneath the shingles. I don't like the fact that contractors can change their estimate without an actual conversation just through an email and when I called contractor to inquire about price change, I never got a return phone call. Another contractor quoted me $750 but did not provide in details what the repair would entail. I want to know what I'm paying for. I called asking about getting an email or estimate in writing to detail the work involved and the contractor said his secretary was out of town and that she was better with the computer than he was, so i would have to wait to get an email from her! Just feel like I'm getting the run around....

She says he's one of the only reputable and affordable contractors she can find due to other contractors' lack of follow through, availability to do estimates and lack of quality work in the past. This feels like a conflict of interest. This has been going on for years now. I just feel like I'm being taken advantage of but I live out of state and I really don't know how to regulate this as much as I would like. I realize I need to be a more active investor with my rentals and there are probably some underhanded things happening to me because I live 5 hours away from my rental properties! Please help!

Hello all, 

     I am new to BP and wish I had joined sooner! I currently own 3 investment properties (one 8 unit, one 5 unit, and a house. Being a single 32 year old woman who is not well versed in the world of construction has definitely put me at a disadvantage of knowing the industry and how it operates. I have several repairs and required maintenance and I struggle to find reputable contractors who actually follow through or are doing quality work. This is amplified by the fact that I love out of state and my property manager often uses her husband, a licensed contractor to do repairs on my properties. Please help!