Rental Property Investor · Member since 2020 · 36 posts · 18 votes
Hi - We are 3 partners who are buying rentals in LLCs and we also started a property management company(PMC) to self manage these properties. The PMC communicates with tenants, collect rents so on so forth.
For privacy sake, two of the partners do not want to communicate with tenants with their name and they have been using my name in emails(we use a common email) and on the phone as the rep of the PMC.
Recently read about Fair housing laws and do not feel comfortable them using my name anymore.
Can we create an alias profile like Brandon from PMC, while communicating with tenants on emails and rental messaging apps?
Or it is not legal to do so. I see many startups using pseudo name in their customer service.
Feel a tad abandoned by those two partners? You should - and don't let anyone else use your name. An alias? People with nothing to hide, hide nothing. And, you're making this harder than it needs to be. Consider instructing tenants to email a generic site like "Tenant Portal" or "My Landlord" and/or text a number specifically used for this purpose alone.
Your LLC should be the name on the lease referencing the "landlord" - so you can also use that entity for tenant contact. Bottom line: if someone wants to find out who you are, they will. Keep it all generically purpose focused and follow Fair Housing to the nth degree.
Why would reading about fair housing laws make you want to use a fake name?
If you are planning on violating fair housing, it won't be that hard for the government to find out who you are and prosecute, no matter what name you gave to residents or prospective residents.
Well, how/who did you want tenants to contact you in an emergency? I guess you could just leave a phone/eMails for emergency and one of you monitor it.
I don't think there is any (NOT a lawyer) requirement for have a named person to respond.
Feel a tad abandoned by those two partners? You should - and don't let anyone else use your name. An alias? People with nothing to hide, hide nothing. And, you're making this harder than it needs to be. Consider instructing tenants to email a generic site like "Tenant Portal" or "My Landlord" and/or text a number specifically used for this purpose alone.
Your LLC should be the name on the lease referencing the "landlord" - so you can also use that entity for tenant contact. Bottom line: if someone wants to find out who you are, they will. Keep it all generically purpose focused and follow Fair Housing to the nth degree.
@Greg Scott Someone is using my name and if they inadvertently say something to the tenant that violates fair housing, I am in trouble. There is nothing in my post that says, we are consciously trying to violate the laws. Just making me question our approach, thats all.
@Steve Morris Thanks. In case of emergency, they text or email and we route it appropriately. Want to be just be careful about outward communication. n communications, there is going to be a person repping the LLC on the lease.
@Patricia Steiner Thank you. This is exactly my question. For example - when tenant says he/she has questions about lease renewal, they will email or text. When we respond even if the property belongs to the LLC, we still have to say who it is repping the LLC because they are actually talking to a person. Would it be OK to give psuedo name there instead of our personal name. Because then I am not concerned with my partners using my name and accidentally saying something back to the tenant.
I would not; in verbal conversations when needed (and I avoid these at all cost) you could state this is "Stone at LLC" (last name as first). In written communications, you could just end with the LLC name. I think the use of your last name would be as far a stretch as I would go. Some states require that any name other than your own which is used in a business transaction must be filed as a Fictitious Name. Protecting your personal identity is important. Your tenants will be googling you...amazing how much time people have to do a whole lot of none of their business. But if anything went south and it headed to court, the person using a false name (meaning you can't provide a driver's license) is the first one branded guilty.
In Cleveland that just changed the law in 2020 to state that the owners name must be on the 3 day notice of the eviction court will throw out the filing.
I've heard from BP interviews that when there is more than one owner and a tenant wants an answer or someone to blame or get something out of, answer that you will need to run it by the owners, all the owners. This works even for couples. That way you dont get suckered I to answering on the spot not can you be labeled the bad guy. Not sure if that was what you were really asking, but I thought it was a good simple way to go about it.
I don't see why your partners can't use at least their first names with no last name or represent themselves as employees or representatives of the management company with no connection to "ownership". It has been said in a few different ways but I always represent myself as being part of the management company and leave the "owners" as anonymous people that the tenants cannot contact. From a totally personal standpoint I would never allow someone to use my name for ANYTHING. I think that in your situation the ramifications are probably minimal (I am not an attorney and that is simply a lay mans feeling). However its a slippery slope and when your in business you need to close as many liabilities as possible even if you chances of having an issue are remote, you really just need to draw the line in the sand and always fight to reduce personal and professional exposure.
If the property is owned by an LLC (in Cleveland) then you put the LLC name on the 3 day notice and the management company along with an attorney representing the owner appear in court, still no "owner" name on anything.
I have to agree about people being crazy. I once posted on Craigslist to sell something and they guy threatened to kill me if I didn’t give him money via western union. Not only did he send me pics of murdered people via phone but he managed to send me a screenshot of the last 3 places that I lived. All accurate I might add, only one problem.....I like my privacy so the addresses he sent me were of business addresses in a plaza. Needless to say I felt better. Disgruntled tenants is something that I want to keep away from personal life. Maybe use your initials or nickname.
First and foremost check your local/state laws. Second, tenants dont care who you are. They just want to be left alone and have their dwelling maintained.
What other professional do people hide from their customers? and, if something were to happen where a tenant wanted to sue, their atty will find you. All the above said, I dont own D,C- rentals, so that may be a different world....
Hi - We are 3 partners who are buying rentals in LLCs and we also started a property management company(PMC) to self manage these properties. The PMC communicates with tenants, collect rents so on so forth.
For privacy sake, two of the partners do not want to communicate with tenants with their name and they have been using my name in emails(we use a common email) and on the phone as the rep of the PMC.
Recently read about Fair housing laws and do not feel comfortable them using my name anymore.
Can we create an alias profile like Brandon from PMC, while communicating with tenants on emails and rental messaging apps?
Or it is not legal to do so. I see many startups using pseudo name in their customer service.
If you guys are this worried about it just hire a property management company. This notion of starting a business where you feel the need to create a fake persona is ridiculous. If you want to be hands on, be hands on. If you want distance, create distance with a 3rd party property manager.
@Felix Stone Hi Felix to keep from hearing constant questions about receiving discounts etc. I play the role of property manager because i am. It’s true. And that way you can say you will talk to the owners about it when there are difficulties. If you are married you can mention it to your wife. My sister is co-owner. Don’t forget to let the worker’s know you are the property manager so they don’t tell the renters you’re the owner.👌
@James Wise That would make total sense. But my market is notorious for bad PM companies. Almost more of a headache dealing with them
Then maybe you're trying to get into the wrong business. Real Estate isn't necessarily for everyone. There are a lot of other businesses out there that may be a better fit. If you hated working with your hands, would you try to become a mechanic?
@Felix Stone so I want to be sympathetic to your desire for privacy but....you “started a property management company”?!?!?! .And then want to be anonymous? That is not a good idea. To find the anonymity you crave hire a PM company and make sure they don’t give out info. You are making this much harder on yourselves than you need to.
@Felix Stone I’m confused why you’re so worried or they are worried about using their names? You don’t announce to everyone you’re the owners just say you’re a manager. This is what we do and they never think twice. I have tenants always saying, I wish I could talk to the owner about....xxxx.. and the owners standing right in front of them. I just say I’ll get the message to him or I’m not sure he’s up to that but I’ll let him know. This is what most owners do.
This reminds of a story of a guy who rented a property to a tenant, who gave him a fake name (she used a fake ID), and told him she was a dental assistant (she was actually an exotic dancer). How would you feel as the landlord?