Blog Post

Myth-understandings of Property Management Companies

Dustin Edwards • February 14, 2020

Activities of Property Management Companies Go Beyond Collecting Rent

Home for Rent Sign
Over the years we have found that common misconceptions about the roles and duties of a property management company can lead to frustration or worse yet an owner who constantly struggles to manage a property themselves. While you certainly could manage your property/properties yourself we wanted to breakthrough myths to help you decide if a property management company might be the best fit to help with your real estate portfolio.

Myth #1: All you do is collect rent

This is the #1 item that we hear from prospective clients prior to them enjoying the service of a property management company. There is no doubt that one of our most important duties to our clients is that of collecting rent, but that is far from the only task that we handle on any given month for our client’s properties.

Consider just a few of the following activities that we complete on a given month for a property:
  • Get a tenant into a property after they lost their keys
  • Called, schedule, and coordinated three tradesman to provide proposals on a new air-conditioning unit
  • Scheduled a handyman to fix a leaky faucet (yes it happens daily)
  • Evaluate rental applications including Pet Screening and background checks
  • Perform a rental analysis to ensure the current rent is maximizing the yield for our client and helping to maintain top tenants
  • Reviewing updated housing laws to ensure properties and policies adhere to both local and state laws
And the list goes on and on. Collecting rent for our owners is a vital task; however, it is only one small item that we tackle with pride daily.

Myth #2: I'm Paying Even When There isn’t a Renter

Having a vacant property means you are taking on an added expense without the benefit of the income. If you had to pay a property management company on top of the mortgage then that really would be frustrating!

While we can’t speak for every property management company however at Beach Cities Property Management we can assure you that we don’t charge you while your property remains vacant. When your property is vacant we are not making any income and we are spending money, investing our time, and putting in effort to attract new prospective tenants. A vacant property is one where no one wins which means we are working hard to find you the best possible tenant.

Myth #3: Showing a Property isn’t that Hard, Why Should I Pay for it?

It would be nice if you could hold your rental property open for a few hours and along came a tenant that had perfect credit, presented to you their financial background and was ready to move in the next day but unfortunately that doesn’t generally happen. The reality is that finding the right tenant comes down to effective marketing for tenants, evaluation of applications and ensuring the property is available to be shown at a variety of times.

Take for example the below times we have for showing on just one of our available rentals:
Rental Property Showing Times
Now ask yourself, can you make yourself available for each of these times and maintain your current work demands?  

Along with innovative technology to make our rentals available more than most we do this as our full time job which means we make ourselves available to find the best tenants. Showing property is just one of the many tasks we complete as part of our engagement with clients.

If you have a myth-understanding we didn’t mention, we invite you to give us a call at (562) 888-0247 and we can share how we could help. When you want to see how your property could do on the rental market simply request our Free Rental Analysis.

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Having clear communication with your tenant is essential for maintaining a healthy landlord-tenant relationship. By being transparent in all relevant interactions, landlords can prevent misunderstandings while resolving repairs and disputes efficiently while improving tenant satisfaction. Having good communication with your tenant is beneficial for landlords too. Effective communication also protects your investment property. Remember that while your tenant is living in the property, landlords need to take care of the repairs. Below are the three best things to do during tenant communications. Prompt Responses Addressing tenant concerns quickly is essential for building trust and maintaining a positive relationship. Tenants feel valued when landlords respond quickly, knowing that their needs are being prioritized. Building this trust not only enhances your tenant’s satisfaction it lowers the possibility of conflicts or misunderstandings to arise. This ultimately creates a healthy and successful rental experience for you and your tenant. Some of the most common inquiries will oftentimes include repair requests, among others. As an example; if your tenant reports a leak under their faucet and the repair is delayed, this can be damaging to your landlord-tenant relationship, as well as your property. If left ignored, that leak can result in hundreds of dollars in water damage and a vacancy . Which can further affect our bottom line negatively. For landlords with multiple properties, this can become difficult to keep track of. A property manager can help with scheduling repairs and communicating with your tenant on your behalf. Document Everything Keeping a detailed record of all interactions with your tenant is an important element when managing a property. There are many choices for documentation including email, text, or written notices. Although many property management companies and landlords have opted to use apps or dedicated tenant portals to log communications. A great example, for instance, a tenant may claim they’d reported a repair issue that was never addressed, if everything is to be documented, both you and the tenant would have a copy of the request. Maintaining transparency with tenants. Having thorough documentation ensures agreements and requests between all parties are clearly tracked. Documenting communications with your tenant provides landlords with a foundation for addressing misunderstandings, or disputes if and when they arise. Provide Regular Updates Regular updates show tenants that their landlord is organized and has an attentive approach to managing their property. Giving tenants ample time for maintenance, inspections or policy changes is a simple way to build trust with your tenants while showing your professionalism. Giving tenants advanced notices reassures them that you’re aware of how changes can affect them and you understand that time might be needed in order to adjust. Surprises are best kept for birthday parties. Proactively notifying tenants of changes helps clear the communication channels and minimizes disruptions which helps tenants feel valued and satisfied. These small yet consistent efforts can contribute to a positive tenant stay, which can encourage lease renewals and long-term tenancy. Additionally, having a good relationship with your tenants can give you a great reputation which can provide you with leads when looking to fill a vacancy . It cannot be understated the importance of communication for a healthy landlord-tenant relationship. Even if your tenant may not agree with some of the decisions a landlord needs to make, by giving your tenants ample time to process the change tenants generally are more accepting of said change. If you’re having trouble communicating with your tenants or if you need help managing Beach City rental property, we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 or complete our Owner Application online .
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