All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

Yes maybe I don't need a key but it's not ridiculous to ask for one, given I'm the landlord/ owner. And given the circumstances, it's understandable I didn't have a key. My husband died less than a month after he was diagnosed. The tenant hasn't responded to my email and I think that is rude. I think giving them time to respond- a week or 2, and then just getting a locksmith to change the locks seems reasonable given the tenant and property managers behavior.

James,

I think a property management company should allow for a landlord to choose rent and terms and I'd work with a company that does that. You call it an outlier, that's fine- I'm ok with being an outlier.

I have interviewed large companies. Their policy annoys the **** out of me- charges you a fee to break the contract, 15% on top of all repairs, and 10% fee is lowest for multiple rentals. No thanks, not interested.

I would be okay to let the company do their job if I trust them, but this company hasn't proven themselves to be trust worthy. 

Right now i am in the process of finding a securing a tenant at the home where we used to live- that is where my involvement would be greatest. Once  a tenant is in place- there's not a lot to talk about in regards PM. I plan on being involved when it comes to repairs- I have so far. 

We've had multiple rentals for years. I have managed my own for years. Although I am not an expert, I am also not a novice. So if our old home gets trashed- Ill survive. As I already have.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

James,

I actually like some aspects of property  management. I am busy raising my kids, working, and dealing with the financial, legal, and emotional aftermath of my husband's death. I am managing other property on my own now- but I didn't want to deal with this home because we lived there together before his death. I think with time I will do well with managing myself. but right now I have too much on my plate.  The properties are an excellent investment in my and my children's future.

I am new to this forum. I have been using a property management company for almost 1 year. I have found it to be stressful and feel like I need to micromanage them.

I came into this situation after my husband died and I needed to deal with his rentals. One tenant needed to be evicted soon after my husband died and the company charged me 3x on their invoice for the eviction. I  had to confront them about it, and I find their monthly statement so hard to follow (they put multiple months charges on one month statement) that I wasn't sure if they actually refunded me.

The evicted home needed to have repairs. They gave me an estimate from their vendor- which I knew was overpriced so I asked for a second quote and she said no- it was the best price. So I found my own much more reasonable quote and had the job done.

The home that we moved from after the death of my husband was just emptied out by me and I asked them to help me manage it because I didn't want to be dealing with it. They have a new associate. I told her via email on multiple occasions what I wanted rent plus the price for pool and lawn care. I told her explicitly that I didn't want it to be the responsibility of the tenant. WIth the first prospective tenant, the PM, only charged the rent I had asked but then included the pool and lawn service without adding that fee into the rent. I told her again what I wanted and she said she would renegotiate it with the tenant. The tenant pulled out and then she found another tenant. This time the PM put the rent at same amount and made lawn and pool a tenant responsibility- after we already had the discussion about what I wanted several times via email. SO told she says she will talk to the prospective tenant and renegotiate. 

Every single time I have to ask her for an update- so that If I hadn't asked all these questions she would not have done anything and my wants would have been completely ignored.

WIth the first prospective tenant, she even told them they could have the home- without consulting me about it. 

I am trying to decide if I should get rid of this company. they charge 8% of 1 months rent. I haven't used anyone else so I don't know if they would even be better. but I am finding this really stressful.

Thank you. I will do that. I was thinking I should get rid of this property management company because this is one of many issues with them. How long do you think I should wait for the tenants to respond ?

This is my first time posting. I became involved in property management because of my husband. He died in the last year but was managing the rentals. I enlisted help from a property management company.  since my husband was managing it, I don't know where a key is for the home, his death was unexpected and fast so we never discussed it and he wasn't very organized with that kind of stuff. 

I have asked the property management at least 7 times to get me a key and they still haven't. Today I emailed the tenant and asked them.

It's frustrating and a strange problem. I'm not sure what to do. Any ideas?