Whether it is nesting mice, pesky bed bugs, or gnawing termites, pests are unfortunately a frequent headache to property owners. On one hand, professional extermination can be pricey, and in certain situations, there can be health concerns depending on the chemicals used and the level of care used by those doing the extermination process. However, in many circumstances, if you don’t get professional help in order to exterminate a pest problem, you can put your tenant’s health at risk as well as cause damage to your property.
But who should be addressing a pest issue? The landlord? The tenant? The answer to that question varies. When a call comes in for pests, we encourage your tenant to handle the issue themselves using easy to find, affordable over the counter pesticides. If the tenant can prove there is an infestation (defined as “to inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful or threatening”), then the landlord will need to send out professional services. We normally ask for pictures to prove there is an infestation.
Pests can be a very frustrating issue for both landlords and tenants.
Any boring insects, such as termites, need to be handled right away as it’s damaging to the property. If it’s clearly not the tenants fault, you as owner would be liable. Bed bugs, however, are usually something that is brought by the tenants. We suggest you have them take care of it themselves. However, be aware that the tenants can call a city health inspector and they can make the landlord pay for a bed bug infestation.
The responsibility of pest extermination for multi-family properties often falls on the landlord because it can be hard to prove which one of the tenants caused the situation. On either case, it is important to keep an open channel of communication between landlord, tenant, and ourselves in order to get rid of any pest problem as soon as possible.
Our ultimate goal is to make investment property ownership a stress-free and profitable for the property owners. There are many ways we do that, and we are always working to find new ways to meet the needs of our property owners. This is why we strongly suggest video inspections.
One of the many services we offer are video inspections. This includes a recorded walk through of the apartment prior to a new tenant moving in. It also includes a recorded work through of the apartment when the tenant moves out. Video inspections are provided when large repairs or improvements are being recommended.
We have found the use of video inspections to be positive for both us and the property owners. When a property owner decides to work with a property manager, there is a certain level of trust needed.
For example, when a manager contacts the owner to let them know about repairs needed to the property that will cost the owner money, the owner has two options:
One thing we do to lessen the potential for a bad situation and to build that trust with the owners is to do video inspections. This is good in several ways. You can see a lot more detail in a video that you can in photo. It allows us to zoom in on areas of damage while still providing perspective on where the damage is.
A video provides a better overall view of the property. This is especially helpful when comparing the condition of the property when a tenant moves to when the tenant moves out.
Limitations of video inspections
Video inspections can be limited in that it creates a sometimes long process. Particularly if you have to look through an entire video just to find one area of damage. However, we lessen that limitation by using the video inspections along with a written inspection report.
For example, if a property has exterior damage that needs to be addressed. We can provide a written report detailing the damage, repairs needed, and expected cost. We send it with a video of the damaged area. In this respect, the video will enhance the information provided in the written report.
Interior video inspections while a tenant is living there are sometimes difficult to get. However, this particular limitation can be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
Benefits of Video Inspections
By providing the video inspections along with inspection reports we are building trust between us and the property owner while getting rid of a possible awkward situation of the property owner feeling the need to ask for proof of property damage and repair estimates.
Videos are also helpful when a case goes to court. We have found that video is much more effective when a tenant needs to be evicted or taken to court and there is property damage involved. Getting a video tour of the damage has a greater emotional impact than photos. The videos can also be used to show a clearer before and after condition of the property in court.
If a deposit is withheld due to damages and the former tenant argues that they deserve all or part of their deposit back, it is the property owner’s responsibility to prove the damages were legitimate and caused by the tenant. This is when before and after videos are most useful.
Video can also be used to lease properties faster and more effectively. How to use the power of video to promote your properties will be covered in How to Use Video to Lease Your Property Faster.
Our experienced investment property management team can relieve you of the burden of managing your rental property while saving you some serious money! Call us today at (440) 220-7300 to see how we can help you!
About four years ago we approved a tenant application, the tenant moved in, and then we had to evict them roughly six months later. On a whim, we went to the local court and found out the tenant had a recent conviction that did not show up on the background check we had conducted with the tenant application. This caused us to take a look at our tenant screening process.
We found that the national databases we had been using were not as accurate or timely as we had assumed. For a variety of reasons including infrequent updates and missed filings, national databases were limited in their accuracy. While we still use them to search for out of the area information, for local background checks, we rely on manual background checks.
Manually checks are beneficial for several reasons:
When screen tenant applications, be sure to also conduct a Landlord Verification. Follow the link to learn the benefits and challenges of verifications.
Our experienced investment property management team can relieve you of the burden of managing your rental property while saving you some serious money! Call us today at (440) 220-7300 to see how we can help you
Through years of experience in the field, we’ve narrowed our tenant screening process down to a specific set of steps that allow us to work quickly to fill the apartments and houses we manage with the best possible tenants. This is an overview of our process. Hopefully it can help you in screening your tenants.
Hopefully, this was helpful. If you have any questions about our process, feel free to ask. If you are interesting in having us handle your leasing process or learning more about the services we offer, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Our experienced investment property management team can relieve you of the burden of managing your rental property while saving you some serious money! Call us today at (440) 220-7300 to see how we can help you!
Are you having trouble selling your house? Are you having trouble finding renters? Don’t worry…things may be turning around soon. I’m clearly not an economic forecaster, but I do pay attention to what is happening. Based on a broad range of factors, I would say there is a substantial chance of inflation soon. .
Now, inflation can sound scary and has a pretty bad reputation. Typically, when people think about inflation, they only think about the prices of everyday items increasing. However, if you are a property owner, inflation may work to your advantage.
During inflation, interest rates will increase, property values increase, and rents rise. I know many business people, who have been able to pay off their mortgages and become debt free thanks to inflation.
Here are just a couple of the potential benefits:
Our experienced investment property management team can relieve you of the burden of managing your rental property while saving you some serious money! Call us today at (440) 220-7300 to see how we can help you!
While looking for a property manager, you may see ads for people offering to do property management. Maybe they are handymen or contractors, and they post ads that they can help manage your properties. They boast their ability to handle the maintenance themselves. But are they licensed?
The one most important question you need to ask when contacting someone is if they are licensed to do property management. Ohio Law states that when working as a property manager; leasing properties, collecting rent, etc. you have to have a brokerage license.
A brokerage license is not easy to get or keep. You might think having a license isn’t a big deal as long as they get the job done. However, you have to think about it as a commitment and investment. If a property management company went through the work of getting and maintaining their license, it is a sign of professionalism and commitment.
Someone operating without a license can disappear on you. They may be looking to make some fast money and get out. Likewise, if their business is maintenance and they decide to offer property management as a means of getting more business, you have no real guarantee that they have the experience and knowledge needed to manage your properties, which is a lot more than just the physical maintenance.
Having and maintaining a license is a means of protecting the public. For example, as licensed property managers, we have audited trust accounts. These ensure that deposits and rent money is being safely handled. If we are managing 300 rental units, we may have anywhere from $300,000 to $600,000 in the bank. That is a lot of money. For someone with little to lose, that money could just disappear. As licensed property managers, we are held responsible for every dollar.
If you have an issue with how we manage, you can go to the state. Then the issue will be looked in to. If we are found at fault, our license can be pulled. Because we are committed to our business, we work in the best interest of our property owners to ensure we maintain our license.
Additionally, operating without a license is a criminal offense with a $1000 fine per incident. If an unlicensed person is managing multiple properties, that fine can be huge. It does not take much for the state to find unlicensed people working as managers and put them out of business, which would leave the property owner in a serious bind.
As professional licensed property managers, we have the systems in place to care for many properties for both local and out-of-state property owners. Our system and processes are well developed and allow us to go beyond minimum care. We manage all the properties under our care as if they were our own, which provides peace of mind especially for out-of-state owners, who are unable to physically check on their properties.
Our experienced investment property management team can relieve you of the burden of managing your rental property while saving you some serious money! Call us today at (440) 220-7300 to see how we can help you!
Do you manage your Cleveland Ohio property or does your property manage you? This is a question you may ask yourself. Being a landlord can be hard and time-consuming. Tenants may feel the need to call you at all hours of the day and night. they may or may not pay their rent on time. Things get damaged. Neighbors fight. The life of a landlord is one filled with uncertainty and surprises.
This can put a big burden on a landlord trying to handle everything on their own, and It can play havoc on their life. It can negatively impact relationships, finances, and peace of mind. It is why many landlords leave the business or fail to make their business profitable.
When you feel like your properties are managing you, it may be a good time to look at what a property manager can do for you. Here is what we do for our property owners.
One of the greatest challenges for landlords are dealing with “emergencies.” We have learned that setting expectations and following our checklists and procedures eliminates emergencies. Eliminating the emergency calls also eliminates a great deal of the stress. We work hard for both or local property owners and our out-of-state property owners. We can manage your properties, and we can provide you peace of mind.
Our experienced investment property management team can relieve you of the burden of managing your rental property while saving you some serious money! Call us today at (440) 220-7300 to see how we can help you!
Our experienced investment property management team can relieve you of the burden of managing your rental property while saving you some serious money! Call us today at (440) 220-7300 to see how we can help you!
Landlords accept security deposits as a form of insurance. If the tenant damages the property or leaves with unpaid bills, the landlord can use the money from the security deposit to help cover those expenses. When accepting a security deposit, there are several things landlords need to understand to protect themselves and their property.
As a property manager, I understand the laws regarding security deposits inside and out. I am also familiar with the courts in the greater Cleveland area and what each of them generally finds as acceptable wear and tear. That knowledge along with the various processes and checklists we have in place to run our business enables me to provide the best care for the properties I am entrusted with. Regardless of whether the property owner is local or out-of-state, they can rest assured that their security deposits are protected, and they are protected from needless fines and aggravation.
Our experienced investment property management team can relieve you of the burden of managing your rental property while saving you some serious money! Call us today at (440) 220-7300 to see how we can help you!