Category Archives: Property Management Tips

Nonviolent Property Management

  By Judy | March 1, 2012 - 1:07 pm | Classes & Workshops, Property Management Tips
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Property Management can be a very challenging profession, in terms of communication. Most often, when the telephone rings, it is a problem. The tenant is unhappy because something needs to be repaired. The owner is unhappy because he’s not making as much money on the property as he thinks he should. The vendor is unhappy because he didn’t get paid the day he submitted his invoice. Property Managers must balance the needs and wants of all parties in landlord/tenant relationship, whether residential or commercial, while at the same time, setting appropriate boundaries, mediating disputes, and communicating difficult messages.

 

Because most property managers have little to no training in communication techniques, many of them burn out within the first year or two in business. The negativity is just too much for them to take. It is out of this awareness, “Nonviolent Property Management: Communication Skills for Property Managers” was developed.

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Rottweilers, Shepherds, and Pitbulls, Oh My!

  By Judy | February 7, 2012 - 2:18 pm | Fair Housing, Property Management Tips
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Rottweilers, Shepherds, and Pitbulls, Oh My!

The subject of today’s post was inspired by a recent class on accommodating the needs of residents with disabilities. As professional property managers, we know the Federal Fair Housing Act (FFHA) requires us to make reasonable accommodations for renters with physical or mental disabilities. Often times, these requests revolve around assistance animals (note: the term “assistance animal” is synonymous with “companion animal,” “service animal,” “therapy animal,” etc.)  It is widely known within the property management industry that accommodating such requests is generally considered “reasonable,” under FFHA.

 

 

What happens when the animal is a “dangerous breed” of dog?

 

Stories relating to incidents of deadly animal attacks on humans make national news on a fairly regular basis. As many of us know, some insurance companies keep lists of dog breeds they consider “dangerous,” (more…)

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Property Management on Purpose

  By Judy | January 24, 2012 - 5:50 pm | Property Management Industry Trends, Property Management Tips
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Property Management on Purpose

Much has been said about the “Accidental Landlord,” lately. It seems that a challenging sales market brings out the landlord in all of us. When the demand for housing shifts from owning to renting, the decision to become an investor-owner, rather than a seller, is one many of your clients have either already made, or are making now.

 

Among the many considerations your clients must weigh in this decision is how best to manage their properties. Are they better off managing a rental themselves, or would they be better served by hiring a professional to take care of tenant selection and day-to-day management?   (more…)

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Are you using video tours for your vacancies?

  By Judy | January 5, 2012 - 6:17 pm | Property Management Industry Trends, Property Management Tips
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Do you post video tours?

What an awesome discovery this has been for me! I recently started using video tours to promote my vacant rental properties in Sparks, Spanish Springs and Reno. Not only did it seem like a far better way to showcase the property than the standard still photographs, but the video allows prospective renters to get a really good “feel” for the property before ever making an appointment to see it. I personally show all my vacant rental properties; I don’t issue keys. As you might imagine, the video tour cuts down on the number of unsuccessful and no-show property showings. That’s just one benefit.  (more…)

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Resolutions for the New Year

  By Judy | December 27, 2011 - 10:20 am | Property Management Industry Trends, Property Management Tips
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Happy New Year!

We all make them, don’t we? We all promise ourselves to do better, do more, and achieve the goals we missed in years past. And, if we’re like so many others, we lose sight of those goals in the madness of living, day to day.

 

This year, I would suggest to you, as a property manager, resolve to embrace just 3 principles that will greatly improve your day-to-day existence in the property management world. When the work life is under control, the rest of life generally seems to follow…

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one…

  By Judy | November 13, 2011 - 2:03 pm | Fair Housing, Property Management Humor, Property Management Tips
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In the area of screening tenants for residential rental properties, property managers often like to think of themselves as great judges of character. After all, as a property manager, you deal with prospective tenants from all walks of life, don’t you? A few years in the business is likely to give us the feeling that we instinctively know who’s going to be a good tenant, and who isn’t.

 

Once upon a time…

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Are you brave enough to specialize?

  By Judy | October 14, 2011 - 10:03 am | Property Management Industry Trends, Property Management Tips
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I see it all too often…real estate licensees claiming to do it all. Really, people?  Do you really mean to tell me that you’re a top listing agent, a savvy buyer’s representative, you list and sell residential property, multifamily, office, retail, and industrial properties, you provide property management services for all of these property types with sufficient expertise to protect your clients’ interests, and, you serve a geographical territory that encompasses everything within an hour’s drive or more? Wow. Just, wow. How do you do all that with any degree of expertise?  (more…)

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I Was Going to Write About Bed Bugs

  By Judy | October 7, 2011 - 6:27 am | NV Landlord/Tenant Law, Property Management Tips
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After all, everyone else has. And, there are a bunch of good articles out there on the subject. I have read many of them, and I suggest you do the same. After all, what do I know? I’m not a pest control expert. All I can tell you is this; I’ve gotten 3 emails in the last week about existing bedbug problems – all of them in the Reno-Sparks area. I have to conclude, bed bugs are a problem in Reno-Sparks rental properties, just as they are in many other locations throughout the United States. Bed bugs seem to be more prevalent in multifamily properties, than they are in single family. Makes sense, doesn’t it? You know, adjoining walls, and such…

 

But, I’m not writing about bed bugs, because, I really want to write about something else. And, besides, I’m no expert. I don’t have a pest control license.

 

But, speaking only for Nevada, NRS 118A says, in order to be considered “habitable,” a residential rental unit must be “reasonably free of insects” at the time the tenant moves in. (more…)

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Questions from Property Managers – How can you tell if the tenant is really gone?

  By Judy | September 21, 2011 - 12:49 pm | NV Landlord/Tenant Law, Property Management Tips
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Today’s question comes from one of our faithful readers, a fellow Nevada property manager, and a valued guest contributor, Bob Frenchu. Bob writes:

 

“When do you decide the tenants are out of the property?

 

Let’s say you’ve served a 5-Day Pay or Quit eviction notice. Noon of the fifth day rolls around, the tenants aren’t answering their phone. You drive out to the property to check to see if they’ve moved out of the premises. You knock, get no answer, open the door and find:  (more…)

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Questions from Property Managers: 3rd Party Payments, Co-signers

  By Judy | September 13, 2011 - 1:07 pm | Property Management Industry Trends, Property Management Tips
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We Heart Co-Signers!

Today’s post follows up on one from last week where we mentioned co-signers, and their added security to a rental property owner. This question came via a Facebook email from a Reno-area broker and property manager:

“Do you think it’s appropriate for a property manager to accept a rent check from someone who is not on the lease? It happens all the time, but I’m curious if I should have some sort of policy against it, for any reason? What are your thoughts?”  (more…)

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