Managing your own Property from Out-of-State...thoughts?

Question

I’m looking for some feedback from anyone who uses RentRedi to manage rental properties out of state.

I currently use RentRedi for a rental property where I live and have had a good experience with it. I’m now considering using it to self-manage an out-of-state property instead of using a traditional property management company.

For those who are doing this, how has your experience been? I’m especially interested in how it has been using the maintenance portion of RentRedi for regular maintenance and emergencies.

Has RentRedi worked well for you as an out-of-state landlord? What other services or systems do you use alongside it to make remote management easier?

Any experiences, recommendations, or lessons learned would be appreciated. Thanks!

Benjamin Sussman · Answer

@Sylvester Hardison your follow up already answered the leasing question, so I will build on it rather than repeat it. @Adam S. made the point I would have led with, that a vendor you are not already feeding work to will not pick up your 11pm call, and @Jimmy Lieu is right that the local vendor network is the real product and the software is just where it gets tracked.

Two things I would add that have not come up yet.

The first is that the local company doing your showings and move ins is probably not the right party to own your condition record. Showing agents get paid per visit and have no stake in what the unit looked like on day one. Move in and move out documentation is what decides every deposit dispute you will ever have, so give whoever does it a written checklist, require timestamped photos of every room including inside cabinets and appliances, and keep that set in your own storage rather than leaving it in someone else's account. I run units in two markets and a thin move in record is about the most expensive mistake available to a remote owner.

The second is the emergency definition. Remote means you cannot walk over and look, so the tenant's description is your entire input. If you have not written down what counts as an emergency and handed it to them at move in, everything arrives as urgent and you end up dispatching on vibes. Health and safety, no heat, no water, active leak, lockout. Everything else is next business day. That one page saves more money than any feature in any app.

On Adam's point about staying in a vendor's rotation, the mechanic that works for me is batching. Keep a running list of small non urgent items and send them out quarterly as a single visit. It costs less per item than one off calls and it makes you a recurring customer instead of a stranger calling at midnight.

I would also build all of this now, while the out of state unit is occupied and calm, rather than during the first vacancy when everything is on the clock.

Is the out of state property currently tenanted, or are you taking it over vacant?

Sylvester Hardison · Answer

@Khalilah Williams Thank you very much for the reply. Truly appreciated!

Khalilah Williams · Answer

I think RentRedi can definitely make out-of-state self-management easier. The biggest thing I’d consider is who you have locally when something goes wrong.

Software can handle rent collection, communication, and maintenance requests, but you’ll still need reliable vendors, someone who can inspect the property when needed, and a plan for emergencies.

For one property with a good tenant, self-managing can work well. Just make sure you’re factoring in your time and the value of having boots on the ground when comparing it to hiring a property manager.

Sylvester Hardison · Answer

Awesome feedback, thank you! The property currently has a great long-term tenant.

Jimmy Lieu · Answer

Hey Sylvester, I think the biggest thing with self-managing out of state is having a strong local vendor network behind the software. RentRedi can keep maintenance requests organized and lets tenants submit photos/videos, track requests, and communicate through the platform. They also offer optional maintenance coordination where a third party can handle finding and scheduling vendors. I wouldn’t rely on the software alone though. I’d have a trusted handyman, plumber, HVAC tech, electrician, and ideally one backup for emergencies lined up before going fully self-managed. I’d also make sure someone local can physically check the property when you need eyes on something. With those systems in place, remote self-management can definitely be workable, especially with a smaller portfolio. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!

Adam S. · Answer

It's fine for rent collection, but what are you going to do for emergency repairs?  Without boots on the ground, you will find it tough to manage w.o. emergency contacts already in place.  You can establish them now, but if you do not already give them business, it's going to be hard for them to justify giving you the time of day during an emergency.

Sylvester Hardison · Answer

@Drew Sygit Hello Drew, thanks for the question. For my property that I use RentRedi for locally, I used a local company to do showings. My plans were to look for a company that I can pay to handle showings, move-ins, and move-outs.

Hello Drew, thanks for the question. For the property I currently manage locally using RentRedi, I used a local company to handle the showings.

For the out-of-state property, my plan would be similar. I would look for a local company or service that I could pay as needed to handle showings, move-ins, move-outs, and inspections. I would then use RentRedi to handle the day-to-day management, rent collection, tenant communication, and maintenance requests.

I’m still looking into how practical this approach would be from out of state, which is why I’m interested in hearing from others who are currently doing something similar.

Sylvester Hardison · Answer

@Stuart Udis Thank you for replying. That gives me a lot to consider. Appreciate it.

Stuart Udis · Answer

I find the people who want to manage remote using services like rent redi lose sight of the total responsibilities performed by good property managers. They ensure vendors are working under detailed service agreements, verify insurance, licensing, and additional insured endorsements, track warranties, perform routine inspections, identify premises liability exposures before they become claims, implement preventative maintenance, and maintain consistent communication with tenants. That's what you're paying for.

Then consider the time and expertise required to build those systems yourself. For smaller or newer landlords especially, a good property manager is often well worth the cost.

There's also the value that's harder to measure: longer useful life of major systems through preventative maintenance, longer tenant retention, fewer costly mistakes, and access to service providers with enough scale to negotiate pricing that can offset much of the markup.

Drew Sygit · Answer

How do you plan to do showings, MoveIns and MoveOuts?

Managing your own Property from Out-of-State...thoughts?

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