Recruiting a rental manager to supervise properties is a very wise decision if you are a serious landlord. This is because rental managers in the city are highly trained professionals capable of supervising your rentals to profitability. This is very essential, especially if you live far from the properties and it is difficult for you to oversee them properly. However, this does not mean that you should leave your rental manager to do this by his/her own without checking on the condition of the properties and the welfare of your tenants. Here are the basic questions that you should ask your rental manager in order to know if they are doing a good job or not.
1. What Is The Vacancy Rate of the Properties Under Your Care?
The purpose of asking this question is to determine if the manager is doing adequate property marketing to reach out to potential tenants. If the manager supervising your rentals has experienced high vacancy rates in the past, this is a clear indication that he/she is not a good property marketer. On the other hand, if the vacancy rates are low, that is a clear indication that your rental manager is a good property manager. Always make sure you have hired a rental manager who is capable of competing for potential tenants with other rental managers in the city and get tenants for your properties.
2. Are There Cases Of Rent Defaulters Or Tenants Arrears?
A rental manager should ensure that tenants have paid rent on time. More so, the manager should be able to follow rent defaulters and those in arrears and make them pay. This question will enable you to tell if the person you have recruited to supervise your rentals has effective strategies to make sure tenants have paid rent on time. Cases of rent defaulters and arrears should be minimal if you have recruited a good manager to oversee your rentals.
3. What Is The Number Of Tenant Issues And Complaints In A Month?
A good rental manager in Raleigh should be able to render excellent services to tenants and make sure there are no cases of unsatisfied tenants. This question will help you to determine whether the person you have recruited to supervise your rentals is capable of satisfying tenants’ needs or not. If the number of tenant issues and complaints are many, this is a clear indication that the manager is offering substandard services and you need to make arrangement and get another manager.
4. How Many Times Have You Visited A Rental In A Month?
This is a very important question because it will help you to know if the manager is bothered to know the condition of your properties and the welfare of tenants. You need to ask the person supervising your rentals how many times he/she has visited your properties in a month to confirm that everything is well. A good rental manager should be able to visit the properties under his/her care as frequently as possible and at least once in a month. If the person supervising your rentals has not visited the properties for the entire month, then you should have worries about the condition of your investment and the welfare of tenants.
5. How Many Repairs Have You Done In a Month?
Property managers deduct the money spent on the repairs from the monthly collected rent. This means that the more the number of repairs the more the deductions and this will decrease your monthly rental income as a landlord. It is important to ask the person managing your properties how many repairs they have done in a month. If the repairs are many, then know that something is wrong and your rentals are not managed properly. On the other hand, if no repairs have been done in several months and all properties are occupied by tenants, chances are very high that the manager does not inspect your property.
6. Have You Evicted Any Tenant So Far?
A good property manager should not be quick to evict tenants whenever there is a misunderstanding or dispute. On the contrary, the manager should be able to solve tenant disputes amicably and minimize cases of tenant eviction. If you realize that that the person managing your rentals is quick to evict tenants, he/she is not able to solve tenant disputes. It is worth noting that having tenants evicted from your rentals from time to time can cost you a lot of money as a landlord.
7. Why Did Tenants Vacate The Properties Under Your Management?
In a situation where your rental manager has evicted some tenants, it is your responsibility as a landlord to check why the tenants were evicted. Remember that evicting tenants in the city not only costs you money as a landlord, but it also damages your reputation. However, this does not mean that you should hold problematic tenants who are not ready to change. What is important is to ask your rental manager why tenants vacated the properties or evicted so that you can know the most appropriate action to take and make tenants stay longer.
8. What Should Be Done To Make A Property More Attractive To Tenants?
The rental market is highly competitive and tenants compete for potential tenants. You need to ask your rental manager about important repairs and modifications that should be done to make your rentals more appealing to potential tenants. If the manager has no clue on what should be done, that is a clear indication that he/she is not conversant with the local market works or what potential tenants look for in rental properties. A good rental manager in the city should be able to advise you about the things that you need to do the properties to make them more attractive to tenants.
9. How Many Properties Are You Supervising At The Moment?
This may sound like an obvious question, but it can help you to tell if your rental manager is in a position to offer outstanding services or not. For instance, in a situation where the manager is supervising many properties, he/she may have divided attention and not be able to offer better services. On the other hand, if the manager has no other properties under his/her care, then you need to ask yourself whether he/she is the best in the market. Probably, your rental manager has a bad reputation and that is why he/she has no clients in the city.
There are many advantages to working with a local property management but it is essential you spend the time in researching these companies and selecting the one which will help you most. We hope these questions help you on your journey in selecting the right company.