Have any of you had a tenant demanding information about the owner (when you are the property manager)? I assume because they think they can get what they want if they can harass the owner too. How do you handle that?
You are correct about one thing. They are trying to by pass you and think they can talk the owner and get whatever they want. However, the ONLY time you can give a tenant any information about the owner is your last day of a Property Manager. Any other time you should be fired on the spot. There’s a reason the owners hire’s a Property Manager. They don’t want to deal with tenants or problems.
Sure!!! Great!!! Leave everything up to the property manager.
"Hello... you have reached XYZ the fast and reliable property management company. We are away from our desk, or out of the office. Please leave a message and we will get back with you as soon as we can sometime after this s holiday weekend, on Tuesday, but until then stick your finger in your...broken pipe until it is convenient for us to call you. Then, after I take care of all my other tenants who left messages for the past 4 days we can make an appointment with a vendor for some time that is convenient for him to cure your problem".
This is what is in our lease. Contact phone number for emergencies. All other requests must be made in writing.
I don't think of it as "harassing" the owner, but often times if it is a potential tenant apartment hunting, they want to find out information on property or usually it is because the manager might be new and still unable to answer certain questions. But then again, I am only talking about NEW potential tenants that might be interested in renting the property.
But what is the language you would use to tell them that?
"I'd be fired if I told you that."
"It is my job to be the go between."
"They hired me to not have to hear from you."
"They wouldn't have hired a property manager if they wanted to deal with tenants."
Something else?
Is there something you definitely wouldn't say when explaining this? Something legally problematic?
"I talked with the owner and they do not want to be contacted regarding this matter. Furthermore they specifically require me not to give out their contact information"
But what is the language you would use to tell them that?
"I'd be fired if I told you that."
"It is my job to be the go between."
"They hired me to not have to hear from you."
"They wouldn't have hired a property manager if they wanted to deal with tenants."
Something else?
Is there something you definitely wouldn't say when explaining this? Something legally problematic?
"I talked with the owner and they do not want to be contacted regarding this matter. Furthermore they specifically require me not to give out their contact information"
I don't think of it as "harassing" the owner, but often times if it is a potential tenant apartment hunting, they want to find out information on property or usually it is because the manager might be new and still unable to answer certain questions. But then again, I am only talking about NEW potential tenants that might be interested in renting the property.
I frequently have applicants ask if I'm the PM or the owner and say they like to deal with the owner. It's pretty obvious they think owners are an easier mark to take advantage of. There's quite a bit of evidence on this and other threads that this is oftentimes the case
We were hired by the owner to manage the property, we ARE the landlord. I don't think there should be any discussion about the property owner, they are not part of this equation. The only info we would ever share is that which is publicly available on the tax records.
Consider a stay at a Marriot hotel, if you had an issue would you ask to speak to the hedge fund manager in New York that "owns" the property (FYI Mariott owns very few properties, their primary business is 3rd party hotel management)? Of course not, you speak to the hotel manager or district manager in an extreme case. Why would anyone think this business is any different?
Have any of you had a tenant demanding information about the owner (when you are the property manager)? I assume because they think they can get what they want if they can harass the owner too. How do you handle that?
The property manager is hired to manage the property so what you've got to do is manage the property. You are the point of contact, end of story. If every time a tenant wanted to talk to the owner you gave out his/her number you aren't doing your job now are you? Good way for you to get fired.
@Xela Batchelder the dog scenario is very common. I had same experience with a tenant who wanted to keep a dog. This exact thing happened. We gave her a stern warning and she knows that she will be fined and have a pet rent if there is dog in her apartment. We are dog friendly though, all she has to do is pay pet rent every month.
Also be sure to inform the owner of the situation. If it is something outside the typical tenant issue, the owner might want to determine how it is handled. In this case, you might have a pet policy that specifically answers the issue. If not, speak with the owner and update the policy.
@Account Closed Okay, please consider Invitation Homes Inc. They own and manage 80,000 homes, "people's homes". A quick search shows that The Vanguard Group is the largest shareholder. Should all 80,000 residents have a line to an executive at The Vanguard Group?
It is true that not all PM companies are ethical, diligent or even nice. When that happens, they are not able to retain residents. When the residents move, the owners get upset and eventual move their business elsewhere. The efficient marketplace and competition are always there to swoop in and correct these situations - putting the bad PM companies out of business.
EVERY STATE IS DIFFERENT. In TEXAS, it is as posted earlier - a name and mailing address of the owner of record is required.
I practice mostly LL-side, but also some T-side when LL is over the line.
There are sometimes good reasons to list the PM and the LL in a suit. A PO Box is a sucky way to get notice of a suit against you. If LL is a registered entity, the Texas SoS is your default registered agent. Not every PM will notify LL of a suit. So make sure there is one legitimate method for a process server to deliver paperwork.
LL should not be afraid for Ts to have their contact info. Just direct everything to the PM. If the PM starts going off the rails (because that happens, too), LL NEEDS to know about it and the only way is from the T or financial records (because LLs *always* audit financials from PMs, right /sarcasm). Harassment results in eviction.