Self-managing and going on vacation

[Clint Pearcy]

Hello folks, 

For those that self manage, what do you do when you go out of cell service? My wife and I are travel junkies, but have not left the country since early 2020 for obvious reasons.  Prior to 2020, we had no responsibilities here at home preventing us from falling off the radar.  Now, we have two SFRs that we self-manage, and have scheduled our first international travel since 2019.  We will not have cell phone coverage, or even the option from what I understand, and will have very limited wifi access. 

I thought about getting with some of the vendors I normally use (plumbers, HVAC, etc...) to see if I could set them up with my credit card information, then distribute a vendor list to my tenants before leaving, though I'd rather they not know I'm traveling.   I found a post from 2011 regarding this topic, but ideas and technology have advanced since then, so I thought I would seek some fresh information from those that have had to deal with this situation. 

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Clint Pearcy:

There's no need to set up credit cards with vendors you may never use. Vendors can usually wait 30 days for payment which should provide enough time for you to check in with your tenants, determine the vendor(s), and make payment.

Leave a list of trusted vendors with your Tenants and very strict rules and examples of when they can call: plumber, electrician, handyman.

Make it clear that if they call for something that was unnecessary, they may have to pay the cost.

[Gina Stern]

Do you not have any trusted friends or family members that you can rely on in case of emergencies? You don't state how long you will be away. I personally would not trust vendors with my credit card details or make them aware that I was going on vacation as you never know if they will share that information with any of there networks. Unfortunately in this day and age its just too risky!

[Eliott Elias]

Keep all communications through email 

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Clint Pearcy:

There's no need to set up credit cards with vendors you may never use. Vendors can usually wait 30 days for payment which should provide enough time for you to check in with your tenants, determine the vendor(s), and make payment.

Leave a list of trusted vendors with your Tenants and very strict rules and examples of when they can call: plumber, electrician, handyman.

Make it clear that if they call for something that was unnecessary, they may have to pay the cost.

[Clint Pearcy]

We'll only be gone 8 days, but hope to have some multiple week trips next year. I do have some people in my personal circle that I trust, but not that I feel would know what to do if something were to arise, I guess I could check with them. 

I thought about keeping it strictly email, but my tenants are used to being able to text me, so I feel they would know I'm out of town "spending their money". Emails would also rely on wifi access, which may only be in the evenings. 

Leaving them a list of trusted vendors was at the top of my list of options, but I didn't know they would wait that long for payment, I've always just paid them on the spot.  I'll discuss that with a few of them to see what they think.  Amarillo is pretty small town, so I don't distrust the vendors I use with credit card information, but I would much rather square it away with them when I return. 

Does anyone know if a property management company would be worth talking to just for short term?

[Tony Link]

Hey Clint, how many properties do you need watched? I recommend you find another landlord/investor you can trust to handle them for you. Then you can reciprocate the next time he/she leaves town. I've got a deal like that I do with a friend of mine.

[Drew Sygit]

@Clint Pearcy with no cell or internet you have a TON of potential liability exposure!

Suggest you train a trustworthy family member or friend to handle emergencies.

OR you can try to temp hire a local PMC to handle. They will probably charge a higher than normal fee as temporary hire, but the peace of mind should be worth it.

[Clint Pearcy]

Quote from @Drew Sygit:

@Clint Pearcy with no cell or internet you have a TON of potential liability exposure!

Suggest you train a trustworthy family member or friend to handle emergencies.

OR you can try to temp hire a local PMC to handle. They will probably charge a higher than normal fee as temporary hire, but the peace of mind should be worth it.

I agree with you.  I feel like these are my two best options so far.  Thank you.

[Clint Pearcy]

Quote from @Tony Link:

Hey Clint, how many properties do you need watched? I recommend you find another landlord/investor you can trust to handle them for you. Then you can reciprocate the next time he/she leaves town. I've got a deal like that I do with a friend of mine.

 Hey Tony, 

I need someone to watch my entire portfolio of two.  I have a couple of folks in mind to do what you mentioned, I was just wanting to see what suggestions would be from folks more experienced than myself. 

[Tony Link]

I can do it if I'm around. It's what I do anyway! :D

[Allan C.]

@Clint Pearcy I managed properties 8000 miles and 12 time zones away. Email and text works fine if you set up the right systems and contingencies.

[Clint Pearcy]

Quote from @Allan C.:

@Clint Pearcy I managed properties 8000 miles and 12 time zones away. Email and text works fine if you set up the right systems and contingencies.

 Yes sir, I use email and text as well.  Unfortunately, they are not an option in this case, at least not consistently enough that I'm comfortable with it.  What do you do if your tenant has an emergency in the middle of the day here, but you're asleep there?

[Allan C.]

Quote from @Clint Pearcy:

Quote from @Allan C.:

@Clint Pearcy I managed properties 8000 miles and 12 time zones away. Email and text works fine if you set up the right systems and contingencies.

 Yes sir, I use email and text as well.  Unfortunately, they are not an option in this case, at least not consistently enough that I'm comfortable with it.  What do you do if your tenant has an emergency in the middle of the day here, but you're asleep there?

I provide contact info to 2 plumbers and I pre-approve emergency repairs for water or gas leaks. Everything else is a non-emergency that I can handle on a time delay. As I noted, develop contingencies based on probability of occurrence and gain confidence in your plan. In some of my markets I have realtors that will support emergency activities and I pay them if used. 

[Wesley W.]

I use Google Voice, which allows me to transfer my business number to any phone I wish. You could route your Google Voice number (if you don't have one, get one - it's free) to a family member that is local for the time you are away. And frankly, 8 days is not that long of a time to be away to merit hiring a PM.

My preference would be the "email communication only" route, that way you can directly make decisions about whether or not to deploy the trades for a repair, and not burden your family member with relaying messages back and forth, or having to call for repair themselves.

You could always just tell your tenants that you're phone has been glitchy lately, and you won't be able to get the issue resolved for at least another week, so to please contact you via email until further notice.  I would never tell my tenants I was leaving town, regardless of the reason.

Here's another pitch for Google Voice:  it will take all of your voicemails and transcribe them into an email and send them to you instantly.  This is what I use, as I do not typically answer calls from tenants, unless the hour implies a true emergency.  I prefer to have them leave a message, and then I call them right back if the situation merits.  This is the exception, however - as I do not want them to think I am immediately accessible at their whim via phone.

Honestly, it seems like you need to set expectations with your tenants about when they should be calling you and for what.  That way you are improving the "signal to noise" ratio of these contacts.

I'm optimistic one of the options above would work for your situation.  Good luck!

[Clint Pearcy]

Quote from @Wesley W.:

I use Google Voice, which allows me to transfer my business number to any phone I wish. You could route your Google Voice number (if you don't have one, get one - it's free) to a family member that is local for the time you are away. And frankly, 8 days is not that long of a time to be away to merit hiring a PM.

My preference would be the "email communication only" route, that way you can directly make decisions about whether or not to deploy the trades for a repair, and not burden your family member with relaying messages back and forth, or having to call for repair themselves.

You could always just tell your tenants that you're phone has been glitchy lately, and you won't be able to get the issue resolved for at least another week, so to please contact you via email until further notice.  I would never tell my tenants I was leaving town, regardless of the reason.

Here's another pitch for Google Voice:  it will take all of your voicemails and transcribe them into an email and send them to you instantly.  This is what I use, as I do not typically answer calls from tenants, unless the hour implies a true emergency.  I prefer to have them leave a message, and then I call them right back if the situation merits.  This is the exception, however - as I do not want them to think I am immediately accessible at their whim via phone.

Honestly, it seems like you need to set expectations with your tenants about when they should be calling you and for what.  That way you are improving the "signal to noise" ratio of these contacts.

I'm optimistic one of the options above would work for your situation.  Good luck!

 Thank you sir, though I think I already have it handled, I find this information very helpful for in the future.  I appreciate you.