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.

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.