All Forum Posts by: Tyrus Shivers

Does anyone provide a tenant privacy statement for use of information or anything that has to do with the Privacy Act? I cannot find an example of any property manager or landlord using a document to show the tenant their information is protected or what it could be used for. 

Another addition to this story is that most people who used to do property management are moving on to just the tenant placement portion and call it a business. I have several calls to manage properties from ex-managers who just want to place tenants. They are charging the full 1st month's rent just to place and then move on to the next. If there was no need for this then it would not exist. Some people would rather use a PM or tenant placement services than to do it themselves. Therefore whether or not the price warrants the work is up to each individual investor. 

@William Pickett

For me personally if someone forged my name I would terminate the lease and find someone else. If they do this what will they do in the future? Did they even try to contact you to sign the form? Did you sign the form at one point and do not remember? I do not know what situation your are in or how long it took you to fill the property, but I could not continue on a relationship with the tenant.

Ohh and their wallets are not fat. They are the ones who need every dime, but complain about not being able to get a deal done. It is downright poor business practices, poor ethics, and laziness. 

Ha,

As a Realtor and property Manager I do not get return emails, calls, or texts most of the time until I have called three or four times or started calling the main office lines. I would think other professionals would at lease answer one another if they are being lazy with the buyer or seller. Nope. I do not know how many listing agents, buyer's agents, contractors, Section 8 offices, and the list continues that I have called and not received a call back. Some you can just move on to another person, but with the listing agent or an office like Section 8 you are at the mercy of waiting 10 days for a followup. What I do is start showing up at the office that usually gets some answers.

@Brett Snodgrass

Likely in that area you will not find many people here on BP with experience there. It is not as small like some parts of rural Alabama (where I am from), but most are still doing business without the technology. I would suggest you try to contact several local brokers until you find an investor friendly one. You do have Corry Station and NAS as the main base hubs there. Corry is a training base primarily so you will not have many long term tenants from that pool. NAS is a duty station but of course you will deal with transitions every few years. There are some crime ridden areas around Pensacola not far from the bases.  

I would help more if I was living in the area,  I am licensed in Alabama and work mostly in Montgomery which is not too far from Pensacola. I have family in Pensacola so I will reach out to them and brokers I know in Alabama and see if I can get you some contact information for someone that can help.

@Dee Cee

Well, be cautious and be prepared. I have walked into homes with squatters, I have walked in on people sleeping, and I work in some of the worsts parts of Baltimore. What do I do? Not that any of this will stop someone if they wanted to attack, but I first and foremost be respectful. When I come across an agitated person I apologize for encroaching even if I really do not and keep in moving. I limit the words I say as people only hear what they want. I move quickly and do what I have to do. I do not stay in one spot long enough to become a target. I have not had much of an issue with people and it could be my appearance. At times I take someone else with me and I always let someone know where I will be going and when I am leaving. I do own guns, but it does little good in Maryland as it is difficult to get a CC permit. 

The only real  practical advice is to take some sort of training, or at least self defense training that trains for rape/theft attacks. You do not have to be a black belt in anything to get someone off you and get away. Be mindful of the surroundings and do not underestimate anyone.

@Joel Owens

I so agree with you. With a gun a person's accuracy drops significantly when under duress. Even cops, that is why they train constantly. Anyone who suggests purchasing a gun for these situations better train well to use it. It is not easy firing a weapon when under duress. There are classes that provide that training. So I would suggest getting into a class that practices defense techniques when armed, in home and outside the home techniques as well as accuracy at different distances. 

I would use an app like Life360 which has GPS tracking capabilities. Not sure if someone mentioned that or not. The posters who talked about size and not being a target basically are living a fantasy or in an area that is not subject to a lot of crime. I property manage in Baltimore City and it does not matter who you are or what you look like. The potential to be robbed is there day or night. I do not think the entire city is dangerous but there are some places that it does not matter who you are or what you know. If you do have a gun, CCW, which is unlikely in Maryland, the bad guys have them too. 

I like the suggestions about open houses and at least having someone know where you are. Call when you make it and when you leave. 

Self-defense and training is good to get yourself out of a situation where you can escape, but it is not an end-all. Having multiple ways to avoid or reduce risks is the best bet. There is plenty advice here, but you need a plan of action that will incorporate the ideas. 

At one point I was using rentecdirect.com and they have all of what you are looking for for under $40.