Property Management Blog
Tips & Advice from Experience
Garbage Disposals No Bueno
I dislike garbage disposals with a burning passion. They seem to be mostly a phenomenon in the United States. But dear ones, life elsewhere without a garbage disposal is just fine. In rentals I manage that don’t have garbage disposals-which comprise about 1/3 of all the units I manage, in 12 years I’ve had about 3 clogged sink drains. For the remaining ....Read More
Tree Maintenance at Rental Properties
There are certain things that seem to fall through the cracks in regard to preventive maintenance at rental properties. Things like inspecting roofs, exterior siding and maintaining trees are things that can be accidentally neglected over time. Ideally the property owner will have these appurtenances in mind and will request that the manager address them periodically. I advise clients that though I ....Read More
Determining Rent Rates
When an apartment or house is coming on the market for rental there are a few things I do to make sure that it is priced accurately for the market and in line with the owner's wishes, assuming those wishes are reasonable and based in reality. First I check online for comparable units. If it's a house I only compare with other ....Read More
Water Heaters
Water Heaters!! Most water heaters die right around 10 – 12 years. For properties with unusual water heaters, such as electric (vs. gas), I recommend pre-emptively replacing a water heater if it has the potential to do damage to units below or other areas if it were to leak. Most water heaters start leaking a little bit before they completely cease to ....Read More