Unlawful Detainer Actions (Evictions being the more commonly used term) are an unfortunate part of the Property Manager's job, and one that we hate to have to perform. In situations like these, the best that can be hoped for is a quick turnover with a minimum of damage, so here are a few pointers if you are a Landlord facing a possible Eviction with your tenant:
1. Do NOT make it personal. I have found over the past 16+ years as a property manager that the best approach one can take is a "sorrowful" one. As a Landlord, you are "sorry" that this situation has resulted in legal action, and while you can sympathize with your tenant's position (even if you can't, you pretend to), they have left you no other choice but to proceed with Eviction. Whatever small satisfaction one might derive from letting the tenant know in no uncertain terms "exactly" what you are thinking about them is nothing compared to the kind of property damage a vindictive tenant can do to your home. Keep it simple and professional, but take no personal satisfaction in doing (or at least try not to let it show).
2. Do NOT stall. We recently advised an owner client that he should let us commence Eviction proceedings against his non-paying tenant on April 7, 2009. At that time, the tenant owed April rent. Contrary to our advice, the owner tried to "work it out" with the tenant, and made a verbal agreement to let them stay until May 10, 2009. Here we are at May 13 with no rent and a non-paying tenant STILL in the property.
3. Count the costs, then cut your losses. Our client's main reason for avoiding the Eviction route was cost. He did not want to pay the $675 in attorney fees, court costs and sheriff's fees to get the tenant out. However, I pointed out to him again today that at $1150 per month (the current rent), the tenant is "in our owner's pocket" for $1650 with no end in sight because no legal action has been taken. Had the client acted on our recommendation, the tenant would likely have been shown to the curb by the sheriff by now.
4. Get Eviction Protection if it is offered. Many property management companies (ICPM being one of them) offer Eviction protection programs where, for a nominal monthly fee (ours is $10), the property management company will cover the legal costs to evict a problem tenant (subject to certain circumstances covered in the management agreement).
Have a question about rental management, landlord-tenant relations, or just want to find out more? We welcome your questions. ICPM is a small, service-oriented property management company for discerning investors looking for "a bit more" than they are used to getting from property management. Our business is over 95% word-of-mouth referral, we do NO sales, and property management is our only business. Find out what we mean when we say:
"Experience Property Management The Way it Should Be."
Thomas R. Martin
Broker/Owner, ICPM
(916) 770-9707 Work
(916) 722-2121 FAX
As a professional property manager since 1992, I have my fair share of odd stories that have stuck with me over the years. Here is one of my favorites:
I had occasion to call Ms. Parker (name changed to protect the slightly deranged) during the summer of 1995 after I noticed her lawn was looking unkempt during a routine drive-by inspection.
"You have to get your lawn mowed, or your rent will be increased to pay for gardening", I explained. She did not miss a beat, replying "I am NOT going to risk catching AIDS from a mosquito, so do what you gotta do!" Ironically, in 2008 we were getting the same occasional complaints about West Nile, but that is another story.
"While I got you...you need to send out someone to arrest the man staying in my attic!". Now, I should point out that I already knew Ms. Parker was, shall we say, a little eccentric."Why do you think someone is in your attic?" I asked.
"Well, my kitchen lights flicker, so that must be from him walking around." I am shaking my head at this point. She continued- "And he stole from me...I was making lunch and had my chicken on the kitchen counter, and when I went to the bathroom, he came down and stole it!"."He must be using the attic as a bathroom, because my kitchen smells awful!"
In the end, we sent out the ghost busters (aka: our contractor) who discovered and corrected the problems. The kitchen ballast was bad, causing the lights to flicker. And the smell? Yes, her chicken had fallen off the kitchen counter and fell between the cupboard and refrigerator, where it proceeded to rot over the next 2 weeks until discovery. True story. Does this mean I get to list "paranormal experience" on my resume?
We just pulled off a small miracle this week. Our tenants moved out of their home on Tuesday, we had the home painted Wednesday, cleaned Thursday, carpets cleaned Friday, and new tenants moved in Saturday morning. Even for professional property management, that is a pretty tight turnover.
What should have been a very easy turnover was complicated by our ex-tenants use of anchor, or "molly" bolts.
While it was evident that the home they lived in was kept quite nice over the past 18 months, we did not know the damage that was hiding under every wall hanging. The walls of our 2400sf 4-bedroom home were studded with molly bolts, at least 3 on EVERY wall.
Molly bolts are typically used to mount heavy wall hangings (mirrors, etc.). Our tenants used them to hang calendars, 5x8 picture frames, you name it.
New paint is based on a 3-year lifespan, so we could only charge the ex-tenant for 50% of the touch-up paint cost. However, we maintain that any hole larger than a nail hole is treated as wall damage, and is therefore considered beyond normal wear and tear.
As we dug deeper into the move out condition, it was clear there were more hidden surprises in store. The ex tenants made off with all 6 smoke alarm batteries, the garage remote batteries, half the light bulbs, and a host of other items that would be easy to miss if we were not being so thorough.
Comprehensive inspections are vital at both move-in and upon vacancy, to insure that the Landlord's interests are protected, as well as to maintain a policy of honesty and fair dealing with the Tenants.
We are seeing a definite increase in call volume for all of our vacant rentals, as if someone turned on an imaginary switch somewhere. What started as a fairly slow week has turned into a dash to screen applicants, as we now have 6 vacancies ready to rent with applications on almost everything.
We continue to receive good positive feedback from applicants, telling us (without exception) that our rentals are far and away the cleanest and most well-maintained they have seen. After 16+ years in the business of property management, I have seen what passes for "habitable" in some landlord's minds, and it is not good.
At ICPM, we pride ourselves on the services we provide, and not just to our owner clients. Today's tenants are tomorrow's landlords, so we treat our tenants with the respect and courtesy they deserve. Our approach has paid off- we have had tenants go on to become landlords needing our exceptional services. We have had many tenants opt to negotiate renewal leases, saving our owners thousands of dollars in vacancy loss and turnover costs.
Happy tenants take better care of our clients' homes. Take care of your tenant, and they will take care of you.
Thomas R. Martin
Broker/Owner, ICPM
(916) 770-9707 Work
(916) 722-2121 FAX
tmartin@investorschoicepm.com
As a property manager in the greater Sacramento area, we are often compared to other companies with differing philosophies on just how the job should be done. With over 16 years of management experience, I have had some time to consider how we want to be identified in the marketplace, so I have taken measured steps to insure our services meet or exceed our client's expectations. To demonstrate what I mean, we'll use a little excercise we like to call "Good, Better or Best" in relation to various aspects of property management and how different companies handle those aspects. Here goes...
Management Contracts:
Good: Clients have the option to sign a 6 or 12 month contract for services, but pay no management fee during an initial vacancy.
Better: Clients have the option to sign a month-to-month contract providing flexibility, and pay no management fees during initial vacancy.
Best: Clients sign a flexible month-to-month management agreement, pay NO management fees during initial vacancy and NO fees during subsequent vacancies longer than 30 days.
Maintenance Services:
Good: Property Manager will coordinate maintenance on an ongoing basis, with little or no involvement from landlord as they have the ability to spend substantial amounts of rental revenue without landlord approval. Maintenance is usually marked up and provides an additional profit center for the management company.
Better: Property Manager will coordinate all maintenance both during and after business hours, with some limitation on the amount of money that can be spent without securing landlord approval.
Best: Property Management Broker will personally monitor maintenance 24/7 and follow Landlord's specific instructions for each property, using management's vendors or Landlord's own vendors as directed, all with absolutely zero markup on any repair or maintenance item, insuring an impartial and unbiased assessment of all maintenance related issues, eliminating an inherent conflict of interests.
Vacancy Marketing/Showing:
Good: Property Manager or leasing agent shows 7 days per week and advertises on the Internet as well as newspaper and signage.
Better: Property Manager continually re-evaluates the market, giving weekly updates to all vacant property owners and negotiating rental adjustments to stimulate activity where and when appropriate.
Best: Property Management Broker personally re-posts web ads every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to keep vacancy postings on the top, middle and bottom of the Craigslist listing, personally monitors and usually attends most showings to witness the applicants' response and to evaluate the overall quality of the vacancy, curb appeal, etc. and personally updates each vacant property owner on at least a weekly basis until rented.
Investors Choice Property Management (ICPM) is proud to say we meet or exceed the examples of "best" given above, as our niche market values consistent quality over mere portfolio size, and client retention over "revolving door" growth. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about our services or our exceptional referral program, don't hesitate to give us a call or email. We are the cure for the common property management company.Visit us online at www.investorschoicepm.com, and find out what we mean when we say:
"Experience Property Management The Way it Should Be."
Thomas R. Martin
Broker/Owner, ICPM
(916) 770-9707 Work
(916) 722-2121 FAX
tmartin@investorschoicepm.com
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Property Management in Sacramento, Rosevillle, Folsom. ICPM is the company for investors that value the quality service and skill that comes from dealing directly with a Broker. -NO Repair Markups-
In over 16 years as a property manager in Sacramento, I have worked with small companies and large ones, and have learned to appreciate the qualities of both. Many clients take comfort in the size of a large company, often overlooking their shortcomings with the rationale that "they are big....they must be good". In some aspects, a big company can be a safe haven for investors that want to hand their rental property over and trust that all will be handled well, having little or no involvement in the process. For others that prefer a more "hands on" approach, a smaller management company may be a better fit, where there is more time and care given to each rental.
One area where a large company may indeed fall short of the mark is in customer service. Overburdened with 2 to 3 times the number of rentals that anyone could manage effectively, the big company property manager is a master of juggling, spending only enough time with each client to keep them from leaving the company, but never keeping their clients truly satisfied. As a former participant in this type of management, I know just how much thought goes into managing 250-300 properties by yourself, and the answer is "not much". When I left big management, I vowed never again to compromise my standards of service, sacrificing profitability in exchange for a more meaningful, dedicated approach to my clients, their properties, and their often-overlooked tenants. It was a life-altering decision, and one of the best I have made in my career to date.
At present, ICPM proudly manages 110 properties with the skill and care our clients have come to expect, in a manner that keeps our clients referring their friends, neighbors and family members.
Our business is over 95% referral-based and we can name every client, their property and their tenants by name.
When we say "Experience Property Management the Way it Should Be", what do we mean by this? There is no short answer to that question, but read on and, if you like what you read, consider visiting our website for more information.
ICPM specializes in the exceptional management of single-family homes, duplexes and condominiums throughout the greater Sacramento area, including Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Folsom, Natomas and Elk Grove.
As a proud member of NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers), as well as an affiliate member of SAR (Sacramento Association of Realtors), we are dedicated to upholding the highest standards of excellence within our industry. We attend ongoing classes to keep at the top of the learning curve, as well as to set a good example for our peers within the industry. Whether it's Fair Housing, ADA Compliance, Security Deposit Accounting, our clients have the benefit of dealing directly with a Broker that stays up to date on Tenant/Landlord issues affecting the greater Sacramento region.
ICPM charges NO MARKUP on Repairs, and receives NO KICKBACKS from vendors. Any savings we are able to secure from our vendors are passed on directly to our clients. Many companies mark up the cost of maintenance. Some of these profits are openly disclosed, others are concealed through clever wording on the contract. At ICPM, we strongly believe that properly maintained units are essential, but the maintenance is expensive enough without your management company "padding the bill". We are already being paid a management fee to manage our properties, and that includes maintenance coordination.
At ICPM, all properties are personally managed by a Licensed Broker that stays involved with our clients home(s). If you or someone you know is ready to stop being lost in the shuffle and start being managed effectively, we'd love to have your business. Once you experience property management the way it should be, you won't settle for anything less.
AGENTS: Did you know ICPM does NO SALES and pays one of the HIGHEST REFERRAL FEES? Call us anytime to find out more.
ICPM proudly manages in the following areas:
Property Management in Sacramento, Property Management in Natomas, Property Management in Elk Grove, Property Management in Citrus Heights, Property Management in Fair Oaks, Property Management in Carmichael, Property Management in Folsom, Property Management in Lincoln, Property Management in Roseville, Property Management in Rocklin, Property Management in Loomis, Property Management in Auburn
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