Property Management Situation / Advice?

Question

Hi all,

I am a brand new investor just purchased my first 2 single family homes out of state. We got one last year and its been rented under management and everything has gone great on that one.

We got the 2nd home this year, and we're having issues with the (same) property management company. They were going to finish up some loose ends (just small random things, haul trash, install threshold, etc) on the house for me through their preferred handyman. (They also did this on the first home to get it ready as well).

I got a list back from them that included some of the things I wanted done, and some new things they added. When I asked about these new items, my property manager doesn't seem to be communicating with them or me very clearly. Should I be sticking to my list or leaning on the property manager's handymen to advise what to be done? To be clear, I am very handy myself, having renovated 99% of both these homes myself. I just had some loose ends for them to finish.

In addition, at the same time, our normal payout on house #1 was short a few dollars. I have been waiting almost a month for them to let me know what the situation is here.

What's your advice?? - I realize now I probably should have made sure everyone was in agreement on the list of work to be done, but I am past that point and want to make sure everything is done right and smoothly. Also, I already paid for the work, the total amount they had requested. Please help!

Nathan Gesner · Answer

The #1 red flag in any relationship is when someone shuts down communication. If they are unwilling to communicate, that demonstrates they may be hiding something, poor customer service, overwhelmed and unable to handle the job, etc. It's a strong indication that you may want to find someone else to hire.

Account Closed · Answer

@Sam Booth Try to get them to do a video call with you, and have them point out all of the things that weren't on your list. Then you can approve the add on's or not.

Silas B. · Answer

Sounds like the property manager has no intention of visiting the property unless there is a repair or something comes up.

Drew Sygit · Answer

@Silas B.

It's no unreasonable to ask this in the context of the PMC getting the info the next time they visit the property in the normal course of their business.

If you're expecting them to jump in their car and drive over there ASAP, then you'll have to offer them some compensation.

FYI - we collect this information when we do a TakeOver Evaluation, but we know most of our local competition doesn't do this.

Nicole Heasley Beitenman · Answer

I agree with @Nathan G. and @Drew Sygit. I would have a discussion with your PM outlining your expectations regarding communication and informing them that if they can't meet those expectations, then you'll need to find a better fit.

Silas B. · Answer

I wanted my property manager to find out (since I am out of state) what the hvac air filter size is so that I can send some in the mail to the tenant. Is this reasonable? Should I expect to be charged? I sensed reluctance on the part of the property manager to do this.

Steven Foster Wilson · Answer

I would keep asking. The squeaky wheel always gets taken care of faster. You could even ask for a video Skype to check on everything. The times I have let things slide or thought I would give them a few more days, is when I regret it.

Sam Booth · Answer

Thanks guys!

The communication has always been really good up to this point.

When I asked last about the status of the situation they immediately responded and said they would check with the handyman company. But I have not heard anything since then.

As as as the shortage on the last payout, they said they would look into it (I think they have an accountant they use) but I have not heard anything for several weeks on this.

Drew Sygit · Answer

@Sam Booth

It's not how a company performs when things are going well, it's how they perform when things are challenging!

1st property went well as probably easy.

2nd property has more challenges and is not going as well.

QUESTION: how long have you been waiting for an answer? If more than 3 business days...

Insist on better communication and information and let the PMC know that if they cannot address these issues you'll be seeking other options.

Property Management Situation / Advice?

Property Management Situation / Advice?

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