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23 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Property Manager

Hiring a property manager can be a stressful situation for a homeowner.

That is why we came up with 23 questions you should ask before hiring a property manager!

There are several ways to determine a good fit for both owner and property manager. To do this well, we believe there are at least 23 questions you should ask before hiring a property manager.

However, most homeowners only ask a handful of questions. The typical questions we hear are things like:

  • What are your owner fees?
  • How do you handle maintenance?
  • How long will it take you to rent my house?

We believe these are good and valid questions.

However, in this post, we want to give you a comprehensive look at property management services and the 23 questions you should ask to determine if they’re a good fit for you.

So here we go….ready?

23 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Property Manager

When you set out to call/email and begin to ask questions to a property manager, it probably means that you’re well on your way and may have even decided to rent your house.

Most of the owners we speak with are ready for someone to come to their house, help them determine a rental rate, and sign paperwork. But for those of you who aren’t quite ready to pull the trigger, here are some things you should strongly consider before you decide which company you will use to manage your house.

Let’s look at the questions surrounding these different areas – Strategies, Results, Systems for a Property Manager, and Experience and Maintenance Team Experience.

Strategy Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Property Manager

1. ResponsivenessWho typically responds to questions and how quickly do you answer?

The speed the manager responds to your initial questions is a good indication of how responsive the manager will be once you are a client.

Another good indicator of their responsiveness is if you reached out for more information on their services and it took them a day or two to get back with you…that’s not the best sign!

2. ProfessionalismWhat do your managers typically wear on a normal day?

Our industry is what we consider to be a ‘mom and pop’ industry. This means that most management companies are smaller (up to 300 houses under management) and continue to keep old practices even though their business continues to expand.

A manager may feel comfortable showing their own house in shorts and a t-shirt, but it’s not the best business practice. How the manager represents the management company is a good indication of how the manager will represent your home.

Take a look at the manager’s website, current marketing materials, and current listings. You may want to weed out several managers before you give them a call.

3. ReputationWhere can read testimonials from your owners and residents?

There’s no need for you to work with a manager who has a bad reputation in the community. We have seen that end badly for owners for various reasons. You deserve to work with a reputable manager.

Here’s a recent survey we conducted with our owners where we share the good, the bad, and the ugly! No manager is perfect, but reputation is a big deal…especially when good residents are looking to rent houses.

4. SatisfactionDo you offer any guarantees to owners?

Sometimes things don’t work out the way we plan. You may decide to terminate management for whatever reason. It’s wise to discuss beforehand if the manager has any performance guarantees.

Those guarantees can be with management, resident placement or maintenance.

The point is that managers with solid guarantees are putting their money where their mouth is and they believe in their ability to deliver an excellent service to owners.

Management Strategies – This is extremely important because it relates to the systems and processes that a manager has set up to run their business. When you speak to a manager ask these questions regarding their management strategies:

5. How do you come up with market rent for your house?

6. What are your collections procedures and process if a resident is late?

7. How do you underwrite prospective resident applications?

These three strategies will give you a sense of whether or not a manager is on top of their business.

Result Related Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Property Manager

8. Vacancy RateWhat’s your vacancy rate?

You should be curious about the manager’s vacancy rate for their portfolio. These should include houses that are rent ready and those marketing.

Obviously, a manager cannot control if an owner is trying to sell a house or refuses to do the needed work to get a house ready for the rental market.

What you’re looking to do is gauge the manager’s ability to fill vacant houses. Also, understand that an owner’s ability to understand true ‘market rent’ is also important.

9. Eviction RateWhat’s your eviction rate on resident’s you place?

No one believes an eviction is fun…especially the owner who must suffer months of slow pay and no pay during the process. Every manager knows the percentage of residents that make it through the underwriting process, are placed in a house, and eventually, get evicted.

This gauges the quality of the manager’s application screening process.

It’s doubtful that the percentage is 0%, but it shouldn’t be at 10% either. This number will not include residents that were not placed by the management company.

If an owner brings us a house with a resident already in the home, but we need to evict them, it will not count against us. Other managers will calculate it the same.

10. Collections RateWhat’s your collection rate on billed rent?

It doesn’t help an owner if a lease is signed and then the manager can’t collect the rent! You should be looking for the percentage of the money they receive based on how much they bill.

It reminds me of a Seinfeld episode where a rental car company had taken a reservation, but when Jerry went to pick up the car, they didn’t have it. He complains that anyone can take a reservation, but holding the reservation is the most important part of the deal!

You want to deal with a property manager who not only charges rent but also collects the rent. That’s an essential part of managing your property!

11. Average Length of TenancyWhat’s your average length of tenancy?

This is just a fancy way of asking how long their residents stay in their houses. The national average is three years, and we’re proud to say that ours is six years. An owner doesn’t make near as much money if residents continue to move in and move out.

The longer a resident stays in your home, the more money you should make. This is because:

  • Long-term residents take better care of your home
  • Less Vacancy = More Money
  • Long-term residents mean less repairing of the home to be “show quality.”

System and Reporting Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Property Manager

12. Team StructureWhat is the team structure in your office and who is responsible for owner communication?

First, you should be able to understand who’s on the team through a property manager’s website or their marketing material.

Also, it is helpful to know how the management team structured. In other words, who are you going to be interacting with on the team? Do they have a person (or people) dedicated to owner communication?

Probably what you should know is if you will have a direct contact that is readily accessible. If they do have a dedicated person, how do they typically communicate with owners – email, phone, or some other means?

13. Available InformationWhat kind of information is shared with you regarding your property?

What you want to know is how readily accessible the accounting and property information is for you as the owner. Ask to see an example.

14. Marketing Your HomeHow would you market my home to find a great resident?

This is a big one. You want to make sure the manager you choose understands how to drive traffic (prospective residents) to your rental.

We know that it’s a numbers game and so the more people see the house, the more people fill out an application. Eventually, you will find a well-qualified resident for your house. Solid marketing helps you find that qualified resident faster.

15. What unique strategies does the manager use to market your home?

16. What web-based marketing methods are utilized?

17. How many unique visitors does the manager’s website receive weekly?

If they are not doing anything that is unique, the manager is not creating any additional value.

A few additional things to consider when talking to a prospective property manager:

Experience Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Property Manager

18. Size of PortfolioHow many single-family homes does your company manage?

How many owners does this represent? You want someone with experience managing your home. If a manager has been around for 20 years and only manages 200 houses, it may be a sign that owners come and go but rarely stay long term.

19. Core FocusDoes your company do anything else besides full-time job property management?

You should ensure that your manager focuses on managing your investment full-time. Over the years we have seen more managers become turnkey providers in order to flip houses.

We believe this could lead to a conflict of interest because there is a temptation to place the best residents in homes you are selling and not in homes that are managed ongoing.

20. Size of StaffHow large is your management staff?

This should not include agents focused on buying and selling homes.

21. Maintenance CrewHow long has your company been working with your current maintenance providers?

22. Are they employees or third-party contractors?

23. Can you provide me with proof that all maintenance providers are licensed and insured?

You don’t want to neglect this critical question because it can come back to you if someone gets hurt on the job or the contractor does a bad job. This can also go back to any kind of guarantee the manager has for their work.

Hire a Property Manager the Right Way

That may seem like a lot to cover, but your rental property is a BIG investment, and you want your manager to treat it seriously. 

Would you like to speak with an Evernest team member about property management? Inquire below.


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