When you own a rental property and you are considering property management, chances are you have many questions. What do property management companies do? What are the responsibilities of a property manager?

Davies Property Management makes it easy to get the information you need. View our list of frequently asked landlord questions below to find the answers to your inquiries. 


 

Can my property be listed For Rent and For Sale at the same time?

No. Multiple listings confuse listing services, as well as potential prospects on both the for sale and for rent side. We do not want there to be a situation where a property is accidentally promised to a tenant and a potential buyer. If legal binding documents are signed by a buyer and new tenant at the same time, it can become a very big problem.

Property management is our primary function, and we are looking to foster relationships with homeowners looking to become successful landlords. 

How soon can you start management my property?

We can start the process immediately. Contact us so we can find out more about you and your property, and see if we're going to be a good fit.

Please contact us if you have other questions or wish to discuss letting us handle your property.

You can also sent us a request for a rental evaluation of your property - click here

What should I do if my tenant calls me?

Do not talk with your tenant. Don't discuss anything with your tenant. That's why you hired us. We have systems and procedures in place to document all communications with the tenant. Our entire team is trained on customer service, best practices, and knows the applicable laws. Frankly, we recommend blocking the tenants numbers. 

We will never release your contact information to the tenant.

Who holds the tenant's security deposit?

All security deposits are held in our security deposit trust account until the end of the tenancy.

Are your fees negotiable?

Our fees are very competitive, and therefore are non-negotiable. We realize you can probably find a cheaper property manager, but the price should not be the determining factor in deciding whom you hire to manage your property.

The ultimate cost of using a property manager is determined by many things other than the fee we charge, namely, the efficiency and manner in which we handle problems. We feel that our services, our systems, and the experience and expertise we offer are a very great value at the fee structure we have established.

What is your monthly management fee?

Our monthly management fee ranges between 8-10% depending on the number of properties we manage for a particular client. Please contact our office for more details.

What property bills will you take care of paying for me?

We will pay your lawn service and any other bills or invoices generated as a result of repairs, utilities or other services to your property. We will not pay mortgage or condo fees and property taxes on your behalf. 

When do you process deposits and monthly statements?

You have access to your property statement at all times 24/7. We provide you with access to an online portal where you can download your statement anytime. We deposit all rent proceeds to your account on the 25th of each month providing the property is occupied and the rent has been paid on time. Rent proceeds disbursements are made by direct deposit into your account.

Can you put the rent money directly into my account?

Absolutely! We can deposit your rent proceeds directly into your bank account by direct deposit. We can only deposit money into your account.

What if I want you to use my plumber, electrician, etc?

We will be happy to invite them to join our vendor list if they are qualified and insured, and they agree to sign our Vendor agreement. We already have a stable list of very qualified and reasonably priced vendors that we have used for many years. If a company you prefer wants to be added to our vendor list, they can contact us and we will interview them and let them know what is required.

Our professional reputation, with both tenants and owners, is largely, if not entirely, determined by how well we handle maintenance. Therefore, we follow a practice that is most likely to ensure the best possible response and resolution to problems.

If I have a family member that is very handy, will you use him to perform repairs?

No, we only use our qualified vendors. We are not able, for liability reasons, to use your friends or relatives to perform work on your home unless they are in fact licensed vendors and they can provide us with the necessary documentation and insurance.

How do I know that you will not spend my money on large repairs without my approval?

This is the greatest fear of most new owners. We promise in writing not to do that. Ordinary maintenance and repairs of less than $400 are paid out of your account, and you will see this in your monthly statement.

If we think a repair might exceed $400 and if we are unable to reach you, we may initiate repair work even if it is higher than $400 as stated in the management agreement; for the following cases:

  1. the health or safety of a tenant is an issue;
  2. the property will incur damage if immediate action is not taken,
  3. in instances where there is only one option to consider.

We would only be acting in your (the owners) best interest.

Do you hold some of my money for repairs and expenses? How much?

Yes, we require a $300 in reserve per property in your account so that there are always funds to pay the vendors for minor repairs. For multi unit properties, the maintenance reserve is established on a case by case basis.

How do you handle maintenance requests?

Tenants may submit requests through their tenant portal. For emergencies, they may call our emergency line. Once we have determined whether or not the issue is considered an emergency and needs to be handled after hours, we will dispatch the appropriate vendor to control and handle the emergency. Tenant safety is absolutely the top priority.

After receiving a routine repair request, we will contact the tenant and ask them questions in order to help us determine the exact nature of the problem before sending a service technician. We make sure it is not something the tenant can fix themselves (ex: reset button on the GFI, tripped breaker etc.) before your money is spent on a service call. After determining that it is a legitimate problem, we will send the appropriate service vendor to make the repair. We tell our tenants that we are able to handle most repair requests within 1 to 3 working days.

How informed will I be about what's going on with the maintenance of my property?

Our general rule of thumb is this; if something has happened, or is about to happen, that will disrupt your ordinary monthly cash proceeds by more than the $400 amount in your reserve account; we will let you know about it. We will call to let you know what has happened and the expected financial impact on the following month's statement.

If something may cause a potential interruption in your ordinary cash flow (loss of tenant or major repair), we will let you know about it right away. Otherwise non-emergency items will be notated in your monthly statements.

How informed will I be about what happens with my property?

We will update you with progress reports as we handle situations outside routine maintenance or if there has been an emergency. You'll hear from us when you need to hear from us. Of course you are welcome to call at any time and get an update, or visit our office and chat with our team. 

What happens if the tenant does not pay their rent?

Rent is due on the 1st of the month and considered late if it is not received at our office by the 5th of the month. If payment has not been made by the 2nd day of the month, we send the tenant an email letting them know that we haven't received the rent. If we get no response from the tenant by the 5th, then we will post a 14 day eviction notice. 

We handle the entire rent collection process. Although it is rare - should a tenant not pay rent, we handle the entire legal eviction process on your behalf.

What do you do if tenants are not taking care of my property as they should?

We give them an opportunity to correct the situation, and usually they will. If a problem persists, we will make a decision based on that specific situation.

How do you make sure the tenant is taking good care of my property?

During the lease term, we may have occasions to enter the property for repair or maintenance reasons and will use that opportunity to examine the property.

In addition, we will generally schedule a property assessment walk-through to see how the tenants are maintaining the property. We make sure the air filter is being changed, that the smoke alarms have batteries and that there are no unreported problems at the property.

We will also schedule a visual assessment walk through prior to offering a renewal on a lease. This protects both you and your property. The right for us to make routine assessments of the property is part of the tenants lease agreement.

What is the duration of a lease agreement?

All leases are in writing and normally cover a period of one year. Longer or shorter leases are approved after discussion with the property owner. During slower rental periods, we accept leases for less than one year, or more than one year, in order to have the lease expire during a more active rental period. On occasion we may elect to place a tenant on a month to month to accommodate a sale of the property by the owner or moving the property into a more active rental period like the summer months.

Dog Breed Restrictions

 "Restricted Breed Of Dog" shall mean any Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, Wolf dog, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bulldog (Old Country Bulldog), Dogo Argentino, Canary Dog (Canary Island Dog, Presa Canario, Perro De Presa Canario), Presa Mallorquin (Perro de Presa Mallorquin, Ca De Bou), Timber Shepherd, Chow-Chow, Rottweiler, Doberman Pinscher, Akita, Tosa Inu (Tosa Fighting Dog, Japanese Fighting Dog, Japanese Mastiff), Cane Corso (Cane Di Macellaio, Sicilian Branchiero), Fila Brasileiro or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one (1) or more of the above breeds. This list is subject to change.

What do you do to qualify a tenant after they have submitted an application to rent my property?

We look at an applicant's past behavior and assume their future behavior will be the same or similar. An applicant must demonstrate a history of being a good, responsible tenants as well as meeting our screening requirements, as outlined below.

Credit Score: All applicants must have a credit score (individual or group average) of at least 530 and above to qualify.

Income: All applicants must earn a (combined) gross income of minimum 3 times the monthly rent. 

Bankruptcy and Active Collections: Bankruptcy and active collections on your credit may be grounds for denial.

Rental History: A clean rental history free of eviction or outstanding balances.

Multiple Applications: In the case of multiple applications we do not operate on a first come/first serve basis. We run credit on all fully submitted applications and the final decision is based upon a point system mainly derived on Credit Score. In a case that there was a more qualified applicant we will hold your application for 90 days should the applicant decided to move the application to another listing in our portfolio.

Pets: Pets are allowed at the owner's discretion. We do not allow any dogs of an aggressive breed (list can be found below). There will be an additional monthly pet fee of $25 for a cat and $50 for a dog. All approved applicants are required to acknowledge our pet policies. Only two pets allowed per property.

 

 

Are Property Managers required to be licensed and are you licensed?

Yes. Our Property Managers, Broker and Real Estate Agents are licensed real estate agents. Our administrative and maintenance staff are not required to be licensed.

What type of properties do you not manage?

We do not manage large apartment buildings over 40 units, industrial properties, or do Condominium or HOA management. We aren't interested in managing homes with chronic repair issues or conditions that might adversely affect the health or safety of a tenant.

What are the responsibilities of a property management company?

We effectively manage your rental property through:

  • Analyses of rental rates and trends
  • Property advertising and marketing
  • Applicant screening and selection
  • Lease execution
  • Coordination of maintenance and repairs
  • Management of Move-ins and Move-outs
  • Rent collection
  • Financial management and bookkeeping
  • Tenant management and lease enforcement
  • Lease renewals
  • Knowledge of and Compliance with local laws
  • For more details about our property management services, view our full-service property management page.

We specialize in Single-Family homes, Condos, Townhomes, Duplexes, Tri-plexes, Four-plexes and small residential buildings.

What do you do to get my property rented?

Renting homes is highly dependent on marketing. We acquire tenants through internet web searches, sign placement, walk-in business, repeat tenants and referrals from satisfied tenants.

  • WORD OF MOUTH / REFERRALS – We regularly receive referrals from our current and past tenants, friends of our tenants, and from other agents.
  • INTERNET LISTINGS – We have developed a comprehensive web presence, which provides information on rental homes that are currently available. 
  • CORRECT PRICING – Even the best properties will not lease quickly if overpriced. We analyze the market to be certain your property is priced according to current market conditions.
  • THOROUGH PREPARATION – The most desirable properties, even when priced well, will not lease quickly if they are not in top condition. Properties must show well and have "curb appeal". We make sure your property is presented in a clean and attractive condition so that it will catch the attention of a good, qualified tenant.
  • COORDINATE IN PERSON SHOWINGS – When the property is vacant, we have leasing agents that is available to show the property 7 days a week, 9am-7pm daily.
  • PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS -- Professional photographs on every listing and update the photographs when needed or changes have been made to the property.

Normally, there are several factors that can make a property difficult to rent – undesirable neighborhood, the property doesn't show well, pets are not allowed or the rent is not competitive. If one of the last two problems appears to be a factor in marketing your property, we will make suggestions to correct them. We do our utmost to keep all properties rented, not only for your benefit but also because our income is based on a percentage of the rental income.

What does your property management company do?

Davies Property Management is a full-service property management company focused on helping real estate investors become successful landlords.