All Forum Posts by: Ryan Scott Isacksen

@Peter Tverdov I agree, the questions in the forums do end up supporting the need for a PM.
On a Facebook page, there was someone self managing in California that asked if he can send a rent increase notice by text.  

An Arkansas landlord just tried changing locks and moving her tenant's belongings out to evict them without a court order.

I've seen self-managing property owners use the rent increase form from the wrong cities here in CA then face the consequences when dealing with a dispute at the rent board.  

There are bad property manager out there for sure and require some work to find.  They will know the area laws.  They will know the rent trends as they see vacancies more often.  They will also do the bookkeeping that is needed.  The only way to generate those reports is to enter invoices, rent payments etc.  Someone previously assumed the bookkeeping was 5 min of report printing a month.  

That is not to say that you can't self manage or no one should do it, but it isn't as simple as some suggest.  You also can't just fully walk away from your property even if you have a manager in place. 

In a bedbug case, you should have adjacent units checked.

Bedbugs typically do not move away from their host unless the population swells to a point that they need to move due to the number of bugs.  There are various state laws that will make a landlord responsible for treatment, but that doesn't mean you have to reimburse the tenant for something they just move forward with.

I wouldn't trust an inspector that decides a hole in a ceiling is a bedbug source.  That person is likely not very familiar with the pest, but has a license to spray chemicals.

Chemicals only work if they come in contact with the bedbug.  Heat treatment is more expensive, but more likely to eradicate the problem until they are reintroduced to the property.

I am pulling my hair out trying to resolve an issue with Coinmach / CSC Serviceworks.

One of the apartments I help oversee has not had a functioning washer for a month.  Laundry room is under contract by Coinmach.  I am calling and emailing the company and supervisors but I simply get told the issue has been "escalated" and the install department may call me or may just install the machine.

I was ignored for 2 weeks and didn't get a response from the rep we have until I emailed and called his manager.  That person will not call me, but the rep "escalated" the situation and considers himself done with the issue.

Does anyone have a phone number or contact at that company to get things done?

I can't believe they don't have a warehouse of machines that allows a swap-out within a few days.  
They noted replacement is needed on April 21st.

I beleive the one we looked at was Yardi Voyager.

They were 3x appfolio in price and hadnt implemented a number of features they hoped to have for online / web based interaction.

I used to use Yardi and the company I work with switched to Appfolio as well.  

The newest Yardi looked a bit behind in features they have been able to implement in comparison to a lot of the new web based management systems.

There are some great features, but they do decide to simply implement a change that affects operations.
Somehow removing the ability to see tenant contact info from a maintenance technician's role / work orders was their recent idea for an update.  

They also will move the location of buttons that you interact with, which disrupts workflow routines that you have and makes the day-to-day harder.  I liked it a lot initially, but I keep runinng into changes the company makes that slow me down in the day rather than help accomplish everything that is demanded of property management.

I work with Appfolio, which has a lot of bells and whistles.  Some things have been good like being web-based, able to do things via phone app, and email a property. 
Be warned though, the company will change significant features that impact operations without much notice.  

Not too long ago they decided to remove tenant contact info from being viewed by people with the maintenance tech role.  I then have to jump through hoops to get information added back in so the maintenance techs working with me can do their job and reach residents that need help.

Some useful info here:

https://www.opploans.com/oppu/articles/8-money-pitfalls-to-avoid-when-co-signing-a-lease/

Pitfall No. 7: Not putting all roommates on the lease

Falen Cox, attorney at Cox, Rodman, & Middleton, LLC

That is roommate issues.  You can't really evict a single resident.  The tenants that live there can file an eviction for the daughter if needed, but you are not really obligated to solve family drama.

You should make sure that communication goes to you. The HOA doesn't have an obligation to notify you about issues with the tenant unless they want you to resolve something. Most HOAs don't like tenants in them. You will need to manage your tenant, but they should have receipts for clearing the sewer.

You can file a claim with your insurance company for the damage from the backup most likely.
That line belongs to them.  Get your insurance involved and they will help advocate for you.  
Get an attorney to write a letter if necessary.