Terrible experience with my property manager in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis, Indiana
Managing Your Property
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Terrible experience with my property manager in Indianapolis.

Eric Gutierrez
Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2015 · 5 posts · 2 votes

I purchased a duplex in Indianapolis (46205) toward the end of 2025, and unfortunately, my experience with T&H Realty as the property manager has been extremely disappointing.

The property had one occupied unit when I purchased it, and that tenant has been great. The duplex was also in reasonably good condition. However, the amount of repairs recommended by the property manager has seemed excessive, and it has taken nearly a full year to finally get a tenant placed in the vacant unit.

Throughout the process, T&H repeatedly attributed the difficulty in finding a tenant to market conditions. However, I was pricing the unit at the rental rate they recommended, and I approved all the repairs they requested to get the property rent-ready.

One of the selling points when I interviewed T&H was that they had an in-house maintenance technician who handled minor repairs and general maintenance that didn't require a licensed contractor. Not once has that in-house technician been utilized. Instead, every repair has been outsourced to third-party vendors, with even minor repairs costing several hundred dollars. I've easily spent approximately $15,000 on repairs and maintenance for just the one unit.

For context, I also own rental properties in Milwaukee, and my property management experience there has been significantly better. The level of service, maintenance costs, and overall performance from T&H don't come close to what I'm accustomed to with my Milwaukee property manager.

Between the extended vacancy and excessive maintenance expenses, T&H has severely impacted the financial performance of this property during its first year of ownership.

I'm looking for recommendations from other Indianapolis investors:

Who are you using for property management in Indy, and would you genuinely recommend them? Ideally, I'm looking for a company that is investor-friendly, has reasonable maintenance costs, utilizes in-house maintenance staff when appropriate, and is proactive about getting units rented.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, both good and bad.

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Harrison C.
Member since 2017 · 122 posts · 63 votes
15h

Eric, can't give you a name in Indy, but a few things I'd put in writing with the next company so it doesn't go the same way.

Put a dollar limit in the agreement. Anything over $300 needs your ok first, and anything over $1,000 needs two bids. Ask for a photo before and after every repair, sent with the invoice. If they really have their own maintenance guy, they'll put his hourly rate in the agreement.

Lee's right about getting the leads, showings and applications. I'd ask the next manager for those three numbers every week a unit is listed, not after the fact. Lots of people asking and nobody coming to see it means the price or the photos are off. Showings with no applications means something about the unit is turning people away. "The market is slow" doesn't hold up when you can see those numbers.

Also ask your Milwaukee manager who they'd call in Indianapolis. Good managers tend to know each other, and that beats any review.

Last thing, read the cancellation part of your current agreement before you give notice. Some charge a fee or hold the tenant file and the deposit for 30 days. You want the lease, the ledger and the keys handed over on a set date.

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  • Lee Futcher
    Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 261 posts · 67 votes
    16h

    Hi @Eric Gutierrez,

    I'm sorry the first year with this duplex has been such a headache. Approving every repair they asked for, pricing the unit where they told you to and still waiting nearly a year to get a tenant placed would frustrate anyone, especially when your Milwaukee manager has already shown you what good looks like.

    I'm not in Indianapolis, so I'll leave the names to the local investors here. Before you switch, though, I'd ask your current manager for two things in writing. The first is every repair invoice for that unit over the past year, with the vendor and the job on each line. With around $15,000 spent, you'll quickly see which jobs could have gone to the in-house technician they promised, and whether the same vendor keeps showing up.

    The second is the vacancy record: the date it was listed, the asking rent over time, and how many inquiries, showings and applications came in each month. That tells you pretty clearly whether it really was the market or the way the unit was being marketed.

    Having both in hand also gives you a great set of questions for the managers you interview next. I'd ask each one how they decide between their own technician and an outside vendor, and what their average days on market was in your part of town last year.

    Best of luck getting it turned around,
    Lee

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  • Harrison C.
    Member since 2017 · 122 posts · 63 votes
    15h

    Eric, can't give you a name in Indy, but a few things I'd put in writing with the next company so it doesn't go the same way.

    Put a dollar limit in the agreement. Anything over $300 needs your ok first, and anything over $1,000 needs two bids. Ask for a photo before and after every repair, sent with the invoice. If they really have their own maintenance guy, they'll put his hourly rate in the agreement.

    Lee's right about getting the leads, showings and applications. I'd ask the next manager for those three numbers every week a unit is listed, not after the fact. Lots of people asking and nobody coming to see it means the price or the photos are off. Showings with no applications means something about the unit is turning people away. "The market is slow" doesn't hold up when you can see those numbers.

    Also ask your Milwaukee manager who they'd call in Indianapolis. Good managers tend to know each other, and that beats any review.

    Last thing, read the cancellation part of your current agreement before you give notice. Some charge a fee or hold the tenant file and the deposit for 30 days. You want the lease, the ledger and the keys handed over on a set date.

    1Reply
  • James JonesPro Member
    Investor · Collierville, TN 38017 · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 742 votes
    15h

    Lee is right, get the paper first, then decide. I run an in-house property management team in Memphis because a manager who cannot show rent landing, maintenance invoices, and days on market will cost you the deal. A year vacant and $15,000 in repairs on one unit kills the numbers, no matter how good the buy was. Ask the next manager how they handle a late payment on day one, how they price a vacant unit, how long a turnover takes, and what they report each month. Get the repair approval limit in writing. I buy single-family under $100K, target an ARV of $180K-$265K, and I underwrite to the 1% rule, so if management cannot protect the rent, I pass on the manager, not just the house.

    1Reply
  • Rosina Persaud
    Member since 2023 · 177 posts · 61 votes
    12h

    Eric, a year to lease one unit and about $15,000 in repairs tells you the system broke, not just the market. Before you switch, pull the paper: the date it was listed, the asking rent over time, how many showings and applications, and every repair invoice with who did the work. That record is your interview sheet for the next manager. Ask them: how many days, on average, from rent-ready to a signed lease, and what is their rent-ready turnover schedule? Who actually does the small repairs, and what dollar amount can they approve without you? How do they screen — verified repeatable income, and does the story match the paperwork? And how often do they inspect, with photos? If they cannot answer with numbers and a schedule, keep looking. The next manager should be able to show you the work, not just promise it.

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  • Joe Waltman
    Member since 2026 · 8 posts · 1 vote
    11h

    Eric, before you switch, ask for the vendors’ original invoices, not just the lines on your owner statement. Side by side they show three things: whether a markup was added on top (many management agreements allow one), whether one vendor got most of the work, and how much was make-ready versus repairs after move-in.

    Then price the vacancy. Months vacant times the rent you ended up getting is likely close to the repair bill, and it’s the number to hold the next manager to.

    When you interview, ask every candidate for the same three numbers from their current doors: average days from rent-ready to signed lease, average turn cost per unit, and their markup on vendor work.

    I own a 5-unit and a rental house, and I’m building a free one-page manager scorecard for exactly this comparison. Let me know if you want it.

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