BiggerPockets

Michael Monteiro's Articles

1. Tenant Screening

   over 3 years ago

   The alarm clock goes off, and it’s a beautiful morning…but you don’t want to get out of bed. You’re chasing a tenant for delinquent rent. Looking back, you remember that you had a pretty go...

2. Retaining Tenants – Keeping Vacancy Rates in Check

   over 3 years ago

   Why spend time and money to repaint, clean, and advertise the unit when you already have solid tenants that pay their rent on time? Though not always easy, it’s almost always cheaper to retain gr...

3. Handling Security Deposits

   over 3 years ago

   Security deposits, and how they’re handled, may be one of the most misunderstood topics for landlords and property managers alike. Part of the confusion stems from the fact that laws regarding se...

4. How to Raise Rents Without Losing Tenants

   about 3 years ago

   Because the rental market is cyclical just like any other market. As the saying goes, what goes up, must come down. That's why it's important to keep pace with rents when the local housing market i...

5. Preparing Your Unit for Turnover

   about 3 years ago

   For better or worse, preparing units for turnover is part of every property manager’s job. There’s good news, though. Just a few simple strategies can go a long way toward making the turnover p...

6. Winterize your Property in Seven Simple Steps

   about 3 years ago

   The temperature has gone down and it’s about time for you to turn up the heat in your properties. Getting your property ready for winter involves more than just adjusting the temperature, though....

7. Six Steps to Building Good Business Relationships

   about 3 years ago

   Building—and even more importantly, maintaining—good client relationships is essential to the success of any business venture. But property managers must be particularly conscientious about goo...

8. Renting in a Recession

   almost 3 years ago

   It’s only natural that the current state of the economy will have a trickle-down affect on vacancy levels and the going rate of rental units. At a time when everyone is tightening their purse str...

9. Perfecting Your Pet Policy

   almost 3 years ago

   Generally speaking, property owners and managers are not required to allow tenants to have pets.* And, in fact, many properties exercise their option to decline pets on premises—for example, in S...

10. Setting Your Property Management Fees

    almost 3 years ago

    As is the case with any employment scenario, when it comes to hiring a property manager, landlords walk a fine line between ensuring they hire the best help possible and obtaining the most competit...