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c/property-management

9

finley_roberts27•3d ago

That Tuesday I had 5 empty units all get new leases in one day

Back in March I had this crazy Tuesday where I showed apartments to 3 different people in the morning, then got calls from 2 more in the afternoon who wanted to sign without even seeing the place. It was the weirdest thing. One guy said his wife's cousin lived in the building and loved it. Another was moving from out of state and just wanted to lock something down fast. I had to rush to print leases and run credit checks before the office closed at 5. Has anyone else had a day where everything just lines up like that?

9

ruby_bell47•4d ago

Lost $400 on a smart lock system that never worked right

I put in a $400 smart lock setup across 3 units in my building in Austin last spring. The wifi kept dropping out and I got 5 lockout calls from tenants in the first month alone. Spent 8 hours on support calls and then paid another $200 to have a locksmith rip them all out and replace with regular Schlage deadbolts. Anyone else have bad luck with these fancy electronic locks on rental properties?

2

finley_smith•5d ago

Heard a landlord at a coffee shop complaining about late rent and it got me thinking

I was at a Starbucks downtown last week and this guy was on the phone going off about a tenant who was 12 days late. He kept saying he wished he had a system for automatic reminders (like texts or a portal). It hit me that I've been doing the same thing for my units, just sending casual emails and hoping for the best. I spent that afternoon setting up free recurring texts through my property software. It took maybe 20 minutes and now I don't have to chase people as much. Anyone else use automated reminders for rent collection or do you still do it all manually?

20

noraroberts•6d ago

That 2 AM pipe burst at the duplex on Maple Street taught me more than any landlord course ever did

I was on vacation in Nashville when my tenant called crying about water pouring through her ceiling, and after a frantic 45 minutes finding a plumber who would take my credit card info over the phone, the real disaster wasn't the $1,800 repair bill but the three weeks of arguing with my insurance adjuster who kept telling me age-related wear and tear isn't covered, so has anyone else had a claim denied for something that felt obviously sudden?

11

casey268•7d ago

I finally figured out why my tenants kept breaking the garbage disposal

Turned out the previous manager installed a 1/2 horsepower model in a 4-unit building, and after three disposals in two years I just switched to a 3/4 horsepower unit for $150 more and haven't had a call about it since - anyone else dealing with cheap hardware from the last guy?

30

henry150•8d ago

Just realized my old property management software was double charging late fees for two years

Ngl, I thought the new software my partner pushed for was a waste of money, but after running the numbers last month I found over $800 in overcharges to tenants that the old system never flagged. Anyone else switch systems and find hidden billing errors that made you feel dumb for waiting?

30

fisher.jessica•9d ago

Had a handyman tell me 'tenant loyalty is overrated' and it made me rethink my whole eviction approach

He said I was too quick to file paperwork on a single late payment in Chicago last fall, and after three months of that tenant paying on time I started wondering if I'd been losing good people over a strict rule that wasn't really saving me anything.

17

angela728•9d ago

Small win: stopped a leak before the HOA got involved

Had a tenant call me Saturday morning about water dripping from a bathroom ceiling. Instead of panicking and calling an emergency plumber for $300, I went up to the unit above and found a loose supply line on the toilet. Tightened it with a wrench in 2 minutes, no parts needed. Saved $300 and the headache of dealing with an HOA violation report. Anyone else find small fixes like this that make you feel like a hero?

5

abby_fisher•10d ago

Hot take: I actually prefer month-to-month leases over 12-month agreements now

Everyone in my landlord group says long-term leases are the only way to go, but after trying it for a year in my duplex in Columbus, I switched everything to month-to-month. I was scared at first, but it actually solved my biggest headache - bad tenants. With a 12-month lease, I was stuck with a guy who parked on the grass for 8 months. Now if someone breaks a rule, I just give 30 days notice and they're out. No more waiting forever or dealing with eviction costs. I raised rent by $50 per month on the vacant unit and the new tenant loves the flexibility. Has anyone else tried this and had it work out better than expected?

13

the_john•15d ago

I finally hit 50 units under management and it feels like a real job now

I started managing properties for a couple of friends about 3 years ago just to help out. Last month I added two more houses and that pushed me to exactly 50 units. It surprised me because I never set that as a goal, it just happened. Now I have to actually think about things like maintenance schedules and rent collection systems. I used to just do everything by memory and a notebook, but that is not working anymore. I spent last weekend setting up a basic CRM and a separate bank account just for deposits. Has anyone else hit a number like that and had to change how they run things?

0

wells.evan•15d ago

That time a tenant fixed their own leak and I learned a lesson

Last month I got a call from Mrs. Davis about a dripping pipe under her sink in unit 3B. She said she already tightened it herself with a wrench from her toolbox. Honestly, I was annoyed at first because she could have made it worse, but she showed me exactly what she did and it held fine for 3 days. I ended up sending a plumber anyway just to be safe, but it made me realize I should leave a basic toolkit in each unit for small fixes. Has anyone else had a tenant who DIY'd something and it actually worked out?

9

the_faith•15d ago

Tried raising security deposits by $200 and got zero pushback from tenants

I bumped my standard security deposit from $500 to $700 on three new leases in Atlanta last month, thinking I'd get complaints or lose applicants. Nobody even questioned it, so I feel dumb for not doing it sooner. Anyone else finding tenants are totally fine with higher deposits?

26

sanchez.ivan•16d ago

Noticed a big jump in tenant turnover at my complex in Phoenix

I manage a 40 unit building near downtown Phoenix and last month alone I had 6 tenants move out. That's way higher than my usual 2 or 3 per quarter. Over half of them said they were leaving because rent went up by $150 or more at renewal. Anyone else seeing a similar spike in people leaving over rent hikes?

23

blair990•19d ago

Shoutout to the tenant screening service I almost didn't buy

I was sure those expensive background checks were a scam, but after a renter in Denver trashed my duplex and skipped on $2,800, I finally paid for a deep credit report. Caught a prior eviction on the next applicant I would have missed otherwise. Who else has been burned by skipping the screening step?

1

miaprice•26d ago

Overheard a tenant telling a friend how to 'work the system' and now I'm rethinking my lease terms

I was walking through the hallway of my building in Portland last Tuesday and caught a tenant telling her friend she always waits until the third day of the month to pay rent, because the late fee policy says she gets a 3-day grace period. She was bragging about how she's done it for 8 months and never gets charged extra because of how I phrased the lease. I wrote that grace period in there thinking it would be a nice buffer for honest mistakes, but now I feel like a sucker. Has anyone else had tenants take advantage of small kindnesses like this and had to change their lease wording?

14

shane_wilson•27d ago

Took me 5 years to realize I was overpaying my lawn crew by $200 a month

I had the same crew cutting grass at 6 duplexes for 5 years, never thought to check their rates against anyone else. Then a new neighbor mentioned his guy charges $40 less per visit for the same lot size. Anyone else find out they were paying way over market rate for a service they just set and forgot?

9

xenam84•28d ago

That brand new water heater I installed blew a gasket at 3am last Sunday

I put in a brand new Rheem water heater in a duplex back in February, top of the line model. Sunday morning at 3am my tenant sends me a video of water pouring down the hallway from the utility closet. The gasket on the inlet fitting just gave out, no warning. I was over there by 4am shutting off the main valve and mopping up with a shop vac. Took me until Monday to get a replacement part from the supply house. Has anyone else had issues with new Rheem units or did I just get a dud?

13

ben_baker•4mo ago

The Roof Technician vs Cherry & Clark Roofing?

I manage a couple of properties and need to establish a relationship with a reliable roofing company toronto. Narrowed it down to The Roof Technician and Cherry & Clark. What are your thoughts on these two?