What to Look for when Reading Reviews of Property Management Companies Online
Dustin Edwards • September 11, 2020
Read the Reviews to Find the Right Company For You
555Businesses have extreme accountability to their customers due to the speed at which reviews can be left online. This can be challenging for any business to manage. It is a great advantage for property owners (and tenants even) to explore what a working relationship would be like with a property management company. Find out more below how to evaluate reviews to help you to find the best possible management company for your goals.
Renter Reviews vs. Owner Reviews
Reviews tell a story from the perspective of the tenant and the property owner. While it would be nice to say “well I am a property owner I don’t really need to read reviews left by tenants” we would encourage you to read a balance of the reviews. As a property owner reading reviews left by tenants will help you to understand how they handle tenants who are renting your property. Reading the property owner reviews will help you to understand how they will interact with you.
While it might seem a bit tedious to read through a large volume of reviews it is a great way to understand, from a 3rd party perspective, how it could be to work with the company.
Quantity and Quality of Reviews
Depending on the platform for reviews (the most common being Yelp and Google My Business) a reviewer doesn’t even have to leave comments when they leave their rating. They could leave a 1-star or even a 5-star without writing a single word.
As you are evaluating the reviews of property management companies we would argue that to truly understand what it could be like to work with a company is to look beyond the pure ratings and read the commentary. Sure it is nice to see a string of 5-star reviews, but what is that really saying about the company? Likewise a number of 1-star reviews could mean there is a problem or maybe there was a common challenge that impacted renters on the same day.
Time Period of Reviews
If there is one truth about the internet it is that once something is put online you can find it for pretty much forever. To understand what it could be like to work with a property management company take careful note of when the reviews were left. Consider the following:
Have they not received any new reviews lately?
Are the majority of the negative reviews older?
If they haven’t received any new reviews lately, why is that? Maybe they stopped encouraging owners and renters alike to leave reviews?
For older negative reviews it could be the result of a bad hire that could no longer be with the company. Or they might be a result of a challenging economic period (i.e. great recession or COVID-19) when many businesses received negative reviews. Take time to understand the context of the negative reviews and even ask the property manager about these negative items during the interview process.
Are there Specific Team Members Mentioned?
This goes for both positive and negative aspects. As you read through the reviews of potential property management companies who are the people that are most often mentioned? Is there a particular individual who is always mentioned as going above and beyond? Is the staff mentioned holistically in a positive manner? Look for trends (positive and negative) regarding the staff to help you get a greater understanding of what it is like to work with the property management company. Property management is a service focused business which means you will certainly be relying on those staff members that are mentioned in the reviews.
Should you see a specific property coordinator or manager mentioned in reviews make sure to ask if they will be the one handling your property. Or you might even ask if you can speak with them as part of the interview process. Having confidence in the individual you are assigned as well as the company will help you to have a long relationship where you and your management company benefit.
At Beach Cities Property Management we enjoy reading the reviews from tenants and property owners and encourage prospects to read our reviews prior to working with us as you will certainly get a better understanding of how we enjoy helping. When you would like to find out more on how we can earn our way to a future 5-star review from you we invite you to request our Free Rental Analysis
to see how we can help.
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Summer is a great time of year where people enjoy a number of outdoor activities. Though for landlords, summer brings with it a list of maintenance items and preventative care for their properties. Below, we’ve gathered three of the most important maintenance items to do before summer starts. Service your HVAC System Southern California summers are getting hotter and hotter, if you want to maintain tenant satisfaction you’ll need to have the HVAC or any A/C or cooling system properly serviced . Filters should be cleaned or replaced, and the ductwork should be inspected. For rentals with window units or mini-split systems should also be thoroughly inspected as well for optimal cooling. Doing proactive maintenance can reduce the risk of the cooling system breaking down during peak usage while also improving the system’s efficiency. This can lower utility costs for your tenants while extending the lifespan of your cooling system, saving you money in the long run. Additionally, consider inspecting your window and door seals for leaks. If the seals are broken, it allows hot air into the living space, this increases the cost associated with cooling while adding more load to the HVAC or cooling system. While not directly a part of the HVAC system, ensuring there aren’t any breaks in the seals helps extend the lifespan of your cooling system which is beneficial to your bottom line. Inspect your Roof The condition of a roof is oftentimes ignored since they tend to last over twenty years, and some property owners may not even be sure when the roof was last replaced . A poorly conditioned roof is one of the primary ways for a rental property to drive up the costs of repairs and tenant complaints. A damaged roof can inefficiently insulate a home, making it harder to keep it cool. It can also lead to water leaks during rainfall, which can lead to water damage, stains, and mold growth. While summers tend to be dry, the coastal cities such as Long Beach may see unexpected shifts in weather, which can bring sudden rainstorms or increased humidity. Fixing a small roof leak is relatively inexpensive, however, leaving said leak to grow can result in an emergency repair can cost thousands especially if a tenant has already moved in. A thorough roof inspection is a great maintenance item to do during a vacancy period especially as this can result in a positive experience with new tenants. This can lead to a long term stay with many lease renewals. Check for Signs of Pests Pest infestations are one of the fastest ways to ruin a tenant’s stay while also damaging a landlord’s reputation. Pests such as ants, cockroaches, other bugs, and rodents are common in many beach cities, especially during the warmer seasons. Being in a city, you’ll likely never truly be rid of pests, though, even a single complaint about an excess of bugs or rodent droppings can lead to bad reviews online, service calls, and in severe cases, lease termination. These pests not only create an unwelcome environment for your tenants, but they can also cause real damage to your investment property. Cockroaches are known to damage small wiring in appliances, ants can ruin food and get in everything, while rodents can chew through walls, plumbing, and even electrical wiring. Landlords should schedule regular ppest inspectionsto check for early signs of pest activity before the hotter season begins. Much like everything in this article, preventative maintenance is significantly cheaper than an emergency call, in this case to an exterminator. If you want to keep your tenants happy and your property well taken care of, preventative maintenance is a must. If you’re unsure about the signs to look for when doing routine inspections or you need help managing your 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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