Selling home while under contract with property management

[Ben M.]

I am selling my rental property and wanted to use my realtor but the property management is telling me that they will no longer be able to manage my property if I use my realtor. They will only continue to manage only  if I use their realtor. They said something regarding liability reasons. I didn’t see anywhere in the contract regarding this. Is this common practice for them to stop managing my property if I use my own realtor to sell?

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Ben M.:

I am selling my rental property and wanted to use my realtor but the property management is telling me that they will no longer be able to manage my property if I use my realtor. They will only continue to manage only  if I use their realtor. They said something regarding liability reasons. I didn’t see anywhere in the contract regarding this. Is this common practice for them to stop managing my property if I use my own realtor to sell?

Read your PM Agreement to verify they have this in writing. If they don't, you can probably push back and force them to stay involved.

As a Property Manager, I understand their concern. It's not just that they want to keep the commission from the sale (although that may play a role). When you list the property for sale with another agent/office, your PM is not stuck doing a lot of the work on behalf of your REALTOR. They have to schedule showings, inspections, appraisal, etc. It can be a real pain and a lot of work for your PM.

The ideal solution is to take over management and let your REALTOR deal with the tenants directly.