Rental Property Management Forum

Policy and Procedures: Do You Waiver?
Managing Your Property
Policy and Procedures: Do You Waiver?

Here’s one I’d love to hear other property managers and landlords weigh in on: Do you believe good property management leaves room for exceptions, or should the policy be the policy? I’m a big believer in policies and procedures. Not because every situation is exactly the same, but because consis...

Looking for RE-focused bookkeeper/accountant for quarterly review + tax strategy
Managing Your Property
Looking for RE-focused bookkeeper/accountant for quarterly review + tax strategy

I’m looking for recommendations from other real-estate investors for a real-estate-focused bookkeeper or accountant. I live in California but own a rental portfolio in Missouri, with a mix of long-term, mid-term and short-term rentals. I do my own bookkeeping and transitioned to REI Hub in Januar...

Looking for a property manager with solid accounting and good communication
Managing Your Property
Cincinnati, Ohio
Looking for a property manager with solid accounting and good communication

Hi team. I'm looking for a good PM in the Cincinnati, OH area with good referrals, good communication skills, and clear accounting systems. Any good or bad suggestions? Thank you.

Title: Self-managing landlords: what's your biggest maintenance headache? (poll + res
Managing Your Property
Title: Self-managing landlords: what's your biggest maintenance headache? (poll + res

I'm self managing 5 rental properties and one of my most time-consuming task is handling comminications between tenants. I have a 9-5 so I'm always juggling from scheduling repairs, or going back and forth with tenants. I'm curios if you guys having the same expeience and if you u are using a som...

Poll
Memphis rental – tenant now 3 months behind, PM communication has become a problem
Managing Your Property
Memphis rental – tenant now 3 months behind, PM communication has become a problem

TL;DR: Bought a Memphis rental in December with tenants already in place who had a history of paying on time. They’re now ~3 months behind and only making partial payments. PM put them on a $500/week payment plan, which worked for about a month, but communication has since fallen apart. I’ve text...

Who keeps the late fees, the owner or the property manager?
Managing Your Property
Who keeps the late fees, the owner or the property manager?

A late fee clause in a management agreement trips up a lot of owners, and I am curious how the people here handle it. When a tenant pays a late fee, who keeps it in your setup: the owner or the management company? I have seen it go both ways. Some agreements let the manager retain late fees as pa...

Bookkeeping for Real Estate Investors, common issues I see
Managing Your Property
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Bookkeeping for Real Estate Investors, common issues I see

Hi everyone, I work in bookkeeping for real estate investors, mainly self-managing landlords and various size portfolios. I come from an audit / private equity accounting background and have been spending more time in the real estate space. From what I see, most bookkeeping issues don’t come from...

How much should you actually budget for maintenance reserves on a rental property?
Managing Your Property
How much should you actually budget for maintenance reserves on a rental property?

Every rental property needs a maintenance reserve. The question is how much. A general rule in Chicago's south suburbs: budget 8-10% of gross rent annually for routine maintenance, plus a separate capital reserve for major systems. Roof, furnace, water heater, appliances, all have a lifespan. Whe...

How do you verify your PM net deposit matches the statement each month?
Managing Your Property
How do you verify your PM net deposit matches the statement each month?

For owners who use a property manager, how are you checking that the net deposit that hits the bank actually matches the owner statement? I am curious whether people reconcile the rent, PM fee, repairs, reserves, and owner draw line by line, or only look at the final payout. The mismatches I watc...

How is everything goin?!
Managing Your Property
Cleveland, Ohio
How is everything goin?!

Hey BP! We are deep into the summer season, and I'm curious to hear how things are going for everyone active in the Cleveland market. I want to pass the mic to you all: The Wins: What went exactly as planned (or better!) at the beginning of the summer? The Challenges: What unexpected hurdles or h...

Your Bank Balance Can Lie to You
Managing Your Property
Your Bank Balance Can Lie to You

Happy Thursday everyone. Three more observations from the self-managing side of rental property. A lot of landlords keep an eye on the bank account to see how the rental is doing. I do too. But the balance in that account and the financial performance of the property are not necessarily telling y...

Twin Cities landlords: How are you actually finding good contractors?
Managing Your Property
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Twin Cities landlords: How are you actually finding good contractors?

Hello! Future first-time landlord here, about to start shopping for multi-family rentals in the Twin Cities. Before I buy, I’m trying to learn from people who’ve already been through this. For those of you self-managing 1-5 units: how do you currently find contractors you trust (plumbers, electri...

Has Anyone Else Had a Terrible Experience with Property Management in Jackson MS?!
Managing Your Property
Jackson, Mississippi
Has Anyone Else Had a Terrible Experience with Property Management in Jackson MS?!

I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced a terrible property management company in the Jackson MS area, but I have had some of the absolute worst experiences that you can imagine! No contact, waiting weeks or months to report damages and even longer to get them fixed, no urgency to lease to an...

how to monitor multiple properties for heating / cooling failures
Managing Your Property
how to monitor multiple properties for heating / cooling failures

Wondering if there are product recommendations to monitor multiple properties for heating and cooling failures? I see there are multiple products that monitor temperature and humidity and as well as alert, have a different price point as well as subscription options etc. Appreciate recommendation...

Moving from Property manager to doing it myself
Managing Your Property
Tampa, Florida
Moving from Property manager to doing it myself

Due to having a bad experience with the property manager i have been using, I am looking at moving to managing places myself, and am looking for advice, vendor recommendations if anyone local has some good ones, or possible issues that people think i may run into. My manager has had issues with s...

Cleveland, Oh Investors... I have a question!
Managing Your Property
Cleveland, Oh Investors... I have a question!

Cleveland investors—what's been the biggest headache with managing your rentals this year: leasing, maintenance, tenant communication, or something else?

The real cost of "we'll deal with it when it breaks
Managing Your Property
The real cost of "we'll deal with it when it breaks

Talked to a fellow landlord recently who said something that stuck with me: every deferred maintenance decision is really a bet that the system fails on your schedule, not its own. sometimes that bet pays off. Sometimes it turns a $400 repair into a $4,000 replacement plus a very unhappy tenant p...

Bookkeeping for small landlords - what do you use and is it working?
Managing Your Property
Bookkeeping for small landlords - what do you use and is it working?

Hey small landlords: I’m curious what everyone is actually using for bookkeeping and rental-property accounting. For those of you with fewer than 10 rental properties: * What software do you use? * How much do you pay per month? * What does it not automate that still requires manual work? * Does ...

Hot Bedrooms in Two SFH Rentals
Managing Your Property
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Hot Bedrooms in Two SFH Rentals

I own two single-family rental properties in FL, and I’m dealing with a similar issue in both: one or two bedrooms gets significantly hotter than the rest of the house. In one property, the problem room is a garage that was converted into a bedroom. I’ve been told that inadequate insulation may b...

The maintenance list I check before every lease renewal
Managing Your Property
The maintenance list I check before every lease renewal

Somewhere along the way I stopped treating lease renewal as just a rent conversation and started treating it as a maintenance checkpoint too. Before I send a renewal offer, I go through every major system in the unit, roof, HVAC, water heater, appliances, and check the age against what's typical ...

Starting a property management company
Managing Your Property
Los Angeles County, California
Starting a property management company

Hello all! I am investigating starting my own property management company in Los Angeles. If you were to use my services, what would you like to get, and what services are overrated? And what would you think is a fair price for the services you'd like to get? I am looking forward to hearing back ...

How Many Doors Have You Added in 2026?
Managing Your Property
Cleveland, Ohio
How Many Doors Have You Added in 2026?

Investors — with 2026 starting to wind down, how are those yearly goals looking? Did you pick up as many properties as you planned this year? How many doors did you add — and how many more are you trying to grab before the year ends? Out-of-state investors too — curious to hear what markets every...

Poll
Recommendations for a Property Manager in the Atlanta Area?
Managing Your Property
Atlanta, Georgia
Recommendations for a Property Manager in the Atlanta Area?

Hi everyone, I have a portfolio of properties I'm looking to get a property manager for in the metro Atlanta area. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks!

What accounting software are you using for a small rental portfolio?
Managing Your Property
Austin, Texas
What accounting software are you using for a small rental portfolio?

Hey everyone, I have a couple of rental homes and I’m adding a few more over time. These are not very expensive properties, so I’m trying to avoid paying a lot every month just for accounting software. I mainly want something simple where I can track income and expenses by property, keep things o...

Looking for a foundation specialist
Managing Your Property
Greensboro, North Carolina
Looking for a foundation specialist

Does anyone have a foundation specialist in the Greensboro area that they know and trust that they could recommend?