Temporary property management?

Question

Is it possible to hire property managers on an "as needed" basis?  For example, can I hire them to handle emergency maintenance requests for just a few weeks while I'm on vacation?

Richard F. · Answer

Over the years, I had a handful of Clients that were "Tenant Placement" only. We would advertise, show, screen, prepare and review docs (for Owner to sign with Tenant) perform and document with photos the move in.

Some of these Clients only had a couple units, but a couple had nearly two dozen units. When they would go on an annual vacation, they would provide our contact info to Tenants, and deliver keys for all units to our office. We would handle any urgent/emergent calls in their absence.

We charged 50% of one month rent, or $1000, whichever was higher for the "Placement" process, and provided vacation "cover" simply as good will. Sooner or later those Clients would either decide to have us take over fully, or their adult kids would. When that happened, often it resulted in sales.

These type of Clients property were all working class type, average properties in average locations.

Maxim Lorenz · Answer

I had the same idea when I first purchased my property in Texas, used a property manager for a year to then realize that it was a complete waste of money and time. As grew my portfolio over the years (i am still a small time landlord), I went to self-manage, first out of state and now out of the country. Long story short, i had this idea in my head for per-fee PM service for years. I did actually manage to finally bring it to life recently with this exact vision. I don't want to use this post a my personal "plug" and really i don't make any money or it (actually the opposite) but if interested I posted BPs classified section and my profile has a link.

Drew Sygit · Answer

Unfortunately, tenants will sue EVERYONE if there's a slip & fall - even if the PMC "helping out" had nothing to do with it.

They'd still have to spend money on attorney fees to prove they had nothing to do with the issue, to get out of any such lawsuit.

Mohammed Rahman · Answer

Hey Catherine,

Most property management companies are really set up for ongoing relationships rather than stepping in just for a short window like a couple of weeks. So in most cases, they’re not going to structure something like that as a one-off service.

That said, if you already have a solid group of contractors and maybe even one reliable person who knows the property well enough to step in and handle calls or coordinate emergencies, that usually ends up being the simplest and most flexible way to cover yourself while you're away. In a lot of cases, that kind of setup can work just as well without needing to formalize full management.

Jackson Boatwright · Answer

In my experience, most traditional property managers aren't interested in taking over a property for just a few weeks. They usually want an ongoing management agreement.

That said, it never hurts to ask. Some smaller property managers may offer temporary services, especially if it's a larger portfolio or if there's an opportunity for a long-term relationship down the road.

Another option is to build a list of trusted vendors before you leave and have tenants contact them directly for emergencies. Depending on the size of your portfolio, that may be the simpler and less expensive route.

Drew Sygit · Answer

No offense, fully understand where you're coming from, but you obviously have no idea of how much time it takes to properly set up a property in PM software!

"You" investors and lawsuits now require us PMCs to track more & more info to meet owner expectations and avoid lawsuits.

The result is it would be VERY difficult for an average PMC to do this and make a profit at a price you'd be willing to pay!

You'd also have to add them to your property insurance and the PMC would want to make sure the coverage meets their requirements.

At best, you MAY be able to find a one-person PMC that doesn't know any better and is willing to take a chance on this arrangement with the hopes they can impress you enough to hire them full time.

Jim Johnson · Answer

I've seen some owners do this, but it usually depends on the property manager. Many prefer full-service management rather than stepping in for a few weeks at a time.

If it's only temporary coverage, I'd also look at other options like a trusted local contact, a co-host (if it's a short-term rental), or a maintenance coordinator who can handle emergencies while you're away.

If you do approach a property manager, I'd be very clear about what you need. For example, are you looking for someone to:

• Handle emergency maintenance only?
• Take tenant calls?
• Coordinate vendors?
• Make spending decisions up to a certain dollar amount?

The more defined the scope, the easier it is to find someone willing to help.

Adam Bartomeo · Answer

I am sure that there is a company out there that would meet this need but I doubt that there are many and the fees for these services should be higher than normal. Having that said, I have never heard of a company that provides these services.

Catherine Clare · Answer

Thanks for these details, Drew, especially the note about the insurance - I did not know that

Catherine Clare · Answer

Thanks Mohammed.  In that case, would you offer any payment to that person?

Temporary property management?

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