"They never tell me anything": the one-page fix between owners and property managers

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"They never tell me anything": the one-page fix between owners and property managers

Lee Futcher
Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 199 posts · 45 votes

Hi everyone,

Ask owners why they left their last property manager and one answer comes up more than any other: "They never tell me anything."

Ask the managers and you hear the other side: owners who want a call for every small repair, then get frustrated when the monthly statement shows up with surprises.

Both are usually right, and it almost always comes back to one thing nobody wrote down at the start: what gets shared, when, and how.

The managers who keep owners the longest put it on a single page on day one:

1. What gets a same-day call (water, fire, anything that affects a tenant's safety)

2. What waits for the monthly statement (routine repairs, turnover items, small vendor bills)

3. The repair amount above which they ask the owner first

4. How the owner prefers to hear from them

It's a short conversation, and it turns "they never tell me anything" into "I knew that was coming."

Adriana and I learned the same lesson running our own businesses. Most of the frustration came from expectations nobody had said out loud.

For the owners here: what's the one thing you wish your manager always told you? And for the managers: what's on your version of that page?

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  • Rosina Persaud
    Member since 2023 · 142 posts · 46 votes
    23h

    That one page is exactly right — most owner frustration I see comes from expectations that were never written down.

    On our side, with 236 doors in Memphis, we keep it simple and the same for every house: what gets a same-day call (water, safety, anything that leaves a tenant without a basic), what waits for the monthly statement, and the dollar amount above which we check with the owner first. The lease spells out the one rent payment method, so money is never part of the confusion.

    The other piece is timing. We run turnovers on a 21-day schedule, so owners hear about turnover items early, not as a surprise at the end. A short written update beats a perfect one that comes late.

    What is on your page for turnover costs — do owners get a heads-up before work starts, or only on the statement?

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  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 13k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    4h

    Setting & MAINTAINING owner expectations is what's critical.

    The challenge is maintaining them as owner expectations change over time and with their finances.

    [email protected]248-209-6824
    Logical Property Management4.9462 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
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    • Lee Futcher
      OP
      Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 199 posts · 45 votes
      2h

      Hey @Drew Sygit,

      That's a really good point. The page is easy to agree to on day one, but an owner who was happy with a $500 approval limit three years ago might feel very differently after a tough year, a refinance or a second property. Their finances change, and so does how much they want to hear from you.

      I think that's why the page works best as something you come back to rather than something you sign once. Even a quick look at it during an annual review, or whenever an owner's situation changes, keeps it up to date instead of everyone assuming nothing has changed.

      Appreciate you adding that,
      Lee

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  • Lee Futcher
    OP
    Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 199 posts · 45 votes
    3h

    Hi @Rosina Persaud,

    I love that you keep it the same for every house. That consistency probably does as much for owner trust as the page itself, because owners can see the rules aren't being made up as you go. And I really like your point that a short written update beats a perfect one that comes late.

    To your question, I'd give owners a heads-up before turnover work starts, but once per turn rather than line by line. If I were writing that part of the page, I'd say that within a day or two of the move-out walk-through the owner gets one short note: the photos, the scope grouped by trade, the estimated total and the date you expect the unit to be rent-ready. Anything under their approval amount goes ahead without waiting, and anything above it waits for their yes. That way nothing on the statement comes as a surprise, and your team isn't stuck on the phone over every small item on a 21-day schedule.

    All the best,
    Lee

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