Property management recommend

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by john3232

This hasn't been too much of an issue as I insist on the option of using my own vendors but I know what you mean. I had a PM use her son-in-law for repairs and another use her husband for landscaping. Didn't like that at all.

If an owner insists on hiring and using their own vendors, then we would not take that owner as a client. The reason is liability. The PM is responsible, and we cannot take on the liability for vendors we do not know and don't hire. if the owners vendors cause some damage to the tenants property the tenant would look to the PM for compensation, and that would open up a huge can of works. So we would not be open to that sort of split duty arrangement.

I don't know the circumstances of the son-in-law or husband, but perhaps the son-in-law was a contractor, and his prices were reasonable, and the husband a landscaper with reasonable fees. If the fees for work are competitive, and the work up to standards, there may have been nothing wrong with that.

john3232My worst experience:

Tenants move into the property and report seeing water spots on the kitchen ceiling on their move-inspection report. Maybe three months later a water pipe breaks and water is everywhere.

Tenants are very upset about the leakage and I try to get the problem fixed right away. However, the tenants want out. They want their rent back for that month and their moving costs covered. They're talking about suing.

I'm wondering why are they so angry?

Then I get a copy of the move-in inspection report sent months earlier which my PM never read. In fact I asked PM myself about the report shortly after the tenents moved in and was told the tenants hadn't submitted anything. I was told not to worry because they (PM) had photos taken before the move in date.

Well, there wasn't really much I do. I'm the owner an ultimately responsible so I gave the tenants back the rent for the month and paid their $1500 moving cost to stay out of court.

Needless to say I began looking for a new PM.

I'm not sure why you got involved at all. The tenant should not have any contact with the owner. They should only be dealing with the PM company. Getting the repair done and working to appease the tenant was the responsibility of the PM company. By your going in and dealing with the tenant and doing the repairs you probably shifted the liability from the PM company to yourself.

Did the PM give you the copy or was it the tenant?
Is it possible that the tenant forgot to send the check list in?
Did you fill out a Sellers Property Disclosure Statement, (this is for rentals or sales, which should be given to a renter to read and sign). This would have disclosed a ceiling stain if you were aware of it.

If the tenant suspected a leak then they should have sent a written request for repair; not just note a ceiling stain on the move-in checklist and forget it. It sounds like they didn't submit a repair request.

In my opinion, although not required, it is a better practice for the PM to go through the home with the tenant, taking photos as they go, and the tenant fills out and signs the check list. We do that, and after making copies, we place the move-in checklist and the photos in a "home" book for the tenants convenience. That eliminates the problem you were faced with.

The owner needs to fill out a Sellers Property Disclosure Statement. If the seller lives out of the area, and/or has not seen the home, then s/he notes that in the SPDS.

[john3232]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

If an owner insists on hiring and using their own vendors, then we would not take that owner as a client. The reason is liability.

What I do is give the PM a list of vendors I have used in the past. Often I find some of the people I use are less expensive than who the PM has. Ex. glass vendor and carpet cleaner but I do not hire direct. All the work goes through the PM

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

...Did the PM give you the copy or was it the tenant?

It was the PM.

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

...The owner needs to fill out a Sellers Property Disclosure Statement. If the seller lives out of the area, and/or has not seen the home, then s/he notes that in the SPDS.

I had been renting the home for a number of years and the piping problem was something recent. It wasn't there when I bought the home.

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

...
I'm not sure why you got involved at all. The tenant should not have any contact with the owner. They should only be dealing with the PM company. Getting the repair done and working to appease the tenant was the responsibility of the PM company. By your going in and dealing with the tenant and doing the repairs you probably shifted the liability from the PM company to yourself.

The PM called me and also forwarded e-mails received from the tenant. I instructed the PM to make arraignments to correct the problem. However, I didn't understand why the tenant was so upset and demanding I give back the rent for the month and moving costs. This was because I was unaware he had clearly mentioned the potential water problem on the inspection report. But again I never personally spoke with the tenant or contacted them by email.

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

...If the tenant suspected a leak then they should have sent a written request for repair; not just note a ceiling stain on the move-in checklist and forget it. It sounds like they didn't submit a repair request.

I agree. This should have been caught if not on the inspection report than by either calling or submitting a repair request but it wasn't.

[Captain Bill]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Bill
...The owner needs to fill out a Sellers Property Disclosure Statement. If the seller lives out of the area, and/or has not seen the home, then s/he notes that in the SPDS.

John -----I had been renting the home for a number of years and the piping problem was something recent. It wasn't there when I bought the home.

If you haven't done so already, for your protection be sure to fill out the form "Residential Lease Owner's Property Disclosure Statement" (updated for each tenant) and have the PM get the disclosure signed by the tenant. All PM's have access to that form on AAR Zipforms.

Giving the PM a list of vendors that the owner is familiar with is certainly ok. The PM can check them out and determine if they can be added to their vendor list.

[john3232]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

...If you haven't done so already, for your protection be sure to fill out the form "Residential Lease Owner's Property Disclosure Statement" (updated for each tenant) and have the PM get the disclosure signed by the tenant. All PM's have access to that form on AAR Zipforms.

Thanks for the info!!

[ffpp]

Originally Posted by Voebe

I'd be cautious with a property management company. At one point I talked to a few, wanting to find someone to keep an eye on the place when I was away, and could not find a single one willing to accommodate me. For instance, I might say I wanted someone to water plants once a week, and they'd refuse, saying they only come every two weeks. I might say that I have repair people, and they'd refuse, saying they only want to use their own repair people.

I see that you never returned to respond to the replies, so there's not much information - for instance, whether you live in town, whether you're planning on long-term or vacation rentals, whether you plan on using a broker to rent, what part of town you're in. All those are relevant issues.

I am not sure about the landscaping, but I guess using your own handyman is not a problem.

I am not in town, which is the reason I need a PM. It would a investment home and I have no plan living in, so long-term rentals for sure.