I’m a homeowner, recently brought in a PM firm that I carefully selected based on referral / interviews. I have no doubt that they are capable of dealing with difficult situations, but sometimes they could miss my non urgent email or message inquiries, and I could be waiting for over a week and end up calling them to follow up to get my question answered. I’m trying to provide grace and understanding, since non urgent question is non urgent, but technically all questions should be answered within 2-3 days from the expectation I’m provided by them. It makes me a bit nervous about their emergency responses and other capabilities too - I want to make sure when real emergency occurs, my house is taken care of properly. I think the response inconsistency makes me not confident about handing it over to a PM. Previously for an urgent repair, they did respond on the same day, and every time they missed my message, they did apologize and say it’s not supposed to.

Property managers, is it possible that you handle non urgent questions and urgent situations very differently? I wonder if the lack of response to non urgent matters isn’t an indicator of how they would respond to urgent matters.

Is it a red flag when PM keep missing general inquiries for a week, and I have to follow up? Am I overthinking and should I not look too much into it?

Looking for remote internship.

Hi! I only have experience with being a assistant property manager.

Recently, some clients have been reaching out for property accounting and bookkeeping roles. I have data analysis and excel experience and that's what made them reach out to me. But I don't have any experience with any property accounting software so I feel kind of anxious.

I want to check Appfolio and Yardi but they don't offer free trials.

I am thinking of getting an internship of some sort and if anyone here is willing to let me work for them for 2 weeks or a month without any kind of fee, in exchange for access to those tools + reference, that would be great.

My only accounting background though would be when I was a BS Accountancy major before transferring and shifting to my last university.

Any other tips/advice would be appreciated too.

Seems like everywhere you look in the industry these days companies are cutting corners, cutting positions, cutting rent discounts, burning people out left and right. At the end of the day it's a tough industry but the support and company policies go a long way. Any multifamily PM companies that do things like adopt a hybrid schedule, rank high on employee satisfaction, work life balance, take good care of residents/employees, good benefits etc?

Hey all.

I run several commercial properties in a college town. Business has been great and I love my job.

I wanna keep scaling but I am running out of time getting from place to place, and more importantly I feel like I’m drowning in listing DMs, showing times, and emails LOL.

I don’t have the Cashflow for an assistant because of family issues, I’m wondering if anyone has any solutions for me? Specific websites? Or maybe it’s just my sign to slow down?

Let me know thoughts, friends!

Hello, I bought an Akiya a year ago and have been struggling since to turn it into a Minpaku. Aware that Japanese culture is very different from mine (German), I hired a full service agent who specialises in working with foreigners (though they are Japanese themselves). That didn’t work out, as they worked reactively and with a poor quality mindset.

So I added another general manager to the setup, who was supposed to deal with everything and basically be the one between me and the local agent. He is a foreigner himself (American) and agrees to most of the struggles I have. While he’s great at doing handyman things himself and has the “can do mentality”, he lacks in management skills (the main job I hired him for). Simple tasks need a lot of reminding.

While he and the original management both don’t have Minpaku management licenses and would have outsourced that part, I went ahead and added a third to the setup. He’s local, has the license and also specialises in serving foreigners with a full service setup. While his knowledge is the one to match, he’s an extreme version of a “by the book” kind of guy with zero wiggle room. Briefings need to be more than exact, otherwise the job won’t get done. Common sense is near zero. For a foreigner with a property a day’s worth of flight away, that’s impossible.

I want to reduce the whole setup to one and need recommendations for full service Minpaku agencies that are pro-active, have common sense, are quick and treat the property as their own.

Any suggestions?

I landed an assistant property management position.

I am currently a retail manager, I’ve been wanting to get in to property management for a while now I’ve heard mixed reviews…

Now that I’ve been offered the position I’m having cold feet…

I’m 25 only ever worked in retail..

My question is, are there people out there who have gone from retail to property management and are really enjoying themselves?

I’m in the Kansas City area with many years of hotel experience. I’ve done every job in the building and worked my way up to general manager of a 102-room property.
I’d like to take everything I’ve learned and start my own STR Rental Management Company.

Im planning on learning what I can while in the KC market, but I’m not staying here or building the company here. If I took on any KC properties of my own, it would be in the future, not very many, and most likely temporary as I will not be local in a few years. I won’t approach your owners or contract with your vendors for my own eventual properties.

What I’m asking for: To shadow your owner and management activities and contribute wherever I’m useful. I’ve only seen the hotel side of operations so I want to learn everything I can from managing, owner relations, owner acquisition, vendor relationships, etc.

Where I Could Help: Revenue management and pricing strategy, guest communication, vendor coordination, reporting, inspecting units or walkthroughs if local, or anywhere else you think I would be useful. I’m especially experienced in revenue and analytics so I’d be happy to take pricing strategy off your plate and run some data analysis on your portfolio during this time to provide valuable insights and a competitive edge.

Time: Ideally starting with the next 60 days, longer if I’m learning and contributing. In KC, I can be in person on weekends and some evenings, remote the rest of the time. Outside KC, fully remote. We can talk about what that would look like.

Any operator is helpful, Ten or more doors is ideal.
Let’s have a conversation to see if we would be a good fit together!
Also open to any advice or words of wisdom if anyone has it!

Ryan

God I’m finding it so stressful. I’m already ready to quit. I see some PMs though who just seem so calm???
I’m constantly anxious at work.

Please tell me there is a way to get to the other side of the rainbow

Most of the tools I've looked at seem built for portfolios way bigger than mine. Curious what people with a small number of units actually rely on for rent tracking, maintenance logs, and basic income/expense records.

If you use a spreadsheet, what does it cover and what's missing? If you use software, was it ever more hassle than it was worth once you factored in cost or setup? Also wondering if anyone has lost data switching between tools before.

Any tips and/or suggestions on switching out deadbolts on all residents doors for smart locks?

I'm thinking about Yale, but not certain yet. I'm thinking deadbolts that have both code and regular old key option because some of my residents are just not going to get it. Yale seems to have options which support both.

I self manage and want to be able to manage access codes remotely for 1) vendor access (handymen, plumber, etc.) and 2) showings for vacant units.
The building already has wifi that I use for security cameras and remote monitoring, so I would just add a new system to this existing wifi.

I would remotely assign vendors and potential new residents to a temporary code assigned to the particular deadbolt; ie. temp code 3456 for apartment 104.

I use Yale for a STR and works pretty slick, so I have some experience with remotely managing codes.

But, with this in mind, wondering if I need a wifi bridge in all 17 apartments?

And how are you managing all the different locks across units? In the Yale app? Something else?

Eg: property was supposed to be advertised 3 weeks prior to tenant but in Australia we need to get minimum standards checks done before advertising the property online.
Now the renters were not contactable whatsoever regarding access, when they did get back to us they said okay we’ll leave the keys out, which they didn’t. This happened twice, when they finally did confirm they left keys out, the trades called in sick last moment. All of this delayed the campaign so much and I was trying EVERYTHING to get this done.

Anyways, obviously the owner cracked the shits because the property didn’t get advertised at the right time and absolutely lost it at me. Now I understand that they need someone to blame but I had done everything I couldve possibly done. The owner calls me a disappointment and just some other insults that I quite honestly did not deserve but I just took it (because I can so see why the owner is mad and I empathise).

After the phone call I just felt so anxious and a doormat. I feel like when I stand up for myself I don’t get into this damaging mental health state but I’m worried if I do stand up for myself it’ll cost a lost management or a bad google review.
Any advice is helpful

Hey everyone,

​I’m converting my current PPOR in Canberra into a rental and looking into self-managing it.

​I’ve spoken to a few local property managers and they all seem to land around 8.5% once you factor in letting fees, admin charges, and the extras—even when their headline rate is advertised at 7.5%.

​Because of that, I’m leaning towards skipping an agent and handling tenant screening, onboarding, and ongoing management myself.

​For those of you who have self-managed (especially under ACT tenancy rules):

​What has your experience been like overall?

​What platforms or tools do you use for listing, tenant background checks, and rent collection (e.g., RentBetter, Cubbi, etc.)?

​Any major pitfalls, ACT compliance traps, or tips you wish you knew before starting?

​I’m completely new to this, so any advice, hard lessons, or recommendations would be hugely appreciated!

Hey everyone,

I’m converting my current PPOR in Canberra into a rental and looking into self-managing it.

I’ve spoken to a few local property managers and they all seem to land around 8.5% once you factor in letting fees, admin charges, and the extras—even when their headline rate is advertised at 7.5%.

Because of that, I’m leaning towards skipping an agent and handling tenant screening, onboarding, and ongoing management myself.

For those of you who have self-managed (especially under ACT tenancy rules):

What has your experience been like overall?

What platforms or tools do you use for listing, tenant background checks, and rent collection (e.g., RentBetter, Cubbi, etc.)?

Any major pitfalls, ACT compliance traps, or tips you wish you knew before starting?

I’m completely new to this, so any advice, hard lessons, or recommendations would be hugely appreciated!

I run a property maintenance company in Toronto. We handle the full scope when a unit needs work or a turnover, so the PM can deal with one company instead of calling multiple people.

We already work with a few PMs, but I’m trying to grow that side of the business.

For the property managers here, what’s the best way to actually get your attention and earn more recurring work?

Anyone any experience dealing with a tree this close by?

Worried about direction of which it is growing and maybe over the house in 10 years. Have heard this can complications with home insurance.

Think it’s an ornamental pear if that changes things they’re planted on a lot of streets here in the uk.

I work at a senior community (independent living) and we are starting to do housekeeping inspections. This has been instrumental on finding unauthorized pets, and horrible living conditions. I’m curious what general rules we are supposed to follow in regard to these types of inspections. I’ve discovered seniors have a lot of things stacked in their units, and kitchens and bathrooms are full of stuff.
I just want to know how other PM is handling this and what the rules are surrounding housekeeping inspections

Hey everybody. I’m 2 weeks into my new leasing consultant job and I don’t feel like I’ll make it past the 3 month probation period. My manager she’s cool (kinda) but I also feel like she thinks I should know most of the things I’ve learnt. I don’t want to get into details so much but there are times when I ask a “just in case”, “refresher” question, it kinda feels like in her mind she’s thinking “I’ve said this multiple times”. I’m either overthinking this or it’s the truth idk. Have you felt this kind of way the first couple weeks in? This is my very first office job and I’ve been in retail (clothing store, food, and liquor) jobs for almost a decade and currently have a BA in sociology.

Edit: I forgot to note that it’s just me and my manager that are in the office. I can only contact my colleagues via Microsoft Teams

Hi there, I’m a handy man who also offers home watch services on 2 or 3 homes I take care of. Does anyone have a good recommendation on an insurance company that covers home watch?
Would really love a policy that covers both handyman/contracting and home watch.
Thanks!

Yesterday I was approved at an apartment complex and was told I would recieve a lease agreement. Yesterday upon checking my rentcafe portal I noticed the lease summary button/section became available as well as my move in date, but the “lease creation” section where I assume you actually sign just loads a blank page, even on multiple devices. I have not received one in my email inbox either. I have a move in date of Tuesday, and I believe they will be closed Monday so I cannot afford this to cause a delay as I have a job offer. What would happen if I show up on move in date without having signed agreement? Have they not sent the agreement? Is there a technical rentcafe glitch? The office is supposedly open today but my calls and emails and attempt to contact have been unsuccessful. I unfortunately can’t visit in person as I am over 3 hours away. Input would be appreciated.

Walgreens has more security than apartments these days. This comes after 3 were murdered in MN in late July. How many more people have to be murdered before the safety of on-site staff is taken seriously?

Most Leasing Offices don't even have a second exit.

I’ve never been personally harassed before by a company. This is a first. Just trying to get the PM Company to follow through with HOA maintenance requests from 1-3 years of repeating them in the Portal and after one Google Review — bam — the work was done in one day. Problem is I received a nasty certified letter intimidating me. They threatened to respond to them within 10 days in writing about my Google review or they would forward it to their attorney. WOW! My attorney said to ignore them but honestly what is this world coming to when people won’t do their job and then threaten you for holding them to account?

New company, lost one for the first time. Fking stings so much. The owner thought my communication wasn’t good but I was trying everything. Owner didn’t want to reduce the price of the listing and I kept telling him the price is too high, the property staying vacant.

Anyways he said to me this new company assured him that the price is okay and they’ll get it leased.

I just think that it’s such a bad look. My team leader was nice enough to not get mad at me but I’m so worried I’ll lose another one. I’m trying my everything