Tag Archives: “property management”

New User Questions

Work Orders: A Landlord’s Biggest Headache

One of the biggest challenges involved in being a landlord is keeping track of work orders. You have to connect tenants with contractors and ensure that the job gets done in time and the workers get paid. With so many tenants and so many contractors, there’s a lot of room for mistakes, and a lot of landlords make them. If you look at online reviews for apartment complexes and leasing offices, one of the most common complaints in negative reviews is a problem with work orders. They didn’t come in on time, or it took several calls before a response, or the order wasn’t satisfactorily completed. And organizational mistakes could also jeopardize your relationship with contractors. It’s essential for your business’s reputation to keep on top of your work orders.

Tenantfile makes that easy with our property management software. Our Work Order Program has everything you need to keep track of all your repairs and maintenances. It’s fully integrated with the other Tenantfile programs, so it can pull email addresses, phone numbers, and other information about each tenant. Each work order allows room for detailed information for your records, including supplies lists. Our program provides customizable listings of your work orders so you can keep track of each order’s status. We make it easy to print checks from the program to speed up delivery to the contractors. When the work order is completed, our landlord software generates automatic work order reports for the tenants, the contractors, and your own records.

With Tenantfile, you’ll never forget a work order again. We offer some of the best property management software out there, and this is just one of the many helpful tools available in our library. We also offer direct pay software, tenant screening programs, word processor software and much more. For more information, check out the Tenantfile website today.

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How will you manage?

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Should you be working with a property manager?

If you’re looking into real estate and rentals, hiring a property manager, or property management company, is definitely something you should consider. Property managers basically serve as the middlemen between you and your tenants, keeping up with rent, tenant issues, and maintaining the property.  Also, property manager can also work with you if you’re investing in commercial real estate!

Property managers are well equipped to deal with tenants and issues they may have so that you won’t have to. If this is your first real estate venture, you’re already going to have a lot of different duties as far as getting everything situated and ready; do you really want to figure out property management on top of that?! I don’t think so. If your tenant has a maintenance problem, your property manager can find and hire a contractor so that you don’t have to.  If a system for rent needs to be set up, it won’t be your duty, it’ll be something that the property manager handles. With a property manager, you won’t have to invest tons of your own time into your property; they’ll handle the work

Property managers also know all the rules and regulations that you must abide by, and what kind of protocol needs to be used. Their jobs are to manage properties, so they know what they’re doing.

property manager

New User Questions

Money, Money, Money

In any lease agreement, probably one of the most important things is the issue of rent. How much rent will you be collecting? When will you collect it?  How will you collect it?

As we’ve talked about in the past, pricing is relative, so that part of your lease doesn’t require as much of your own personal preference as do the other parts. Once you’ve set the perfect monthly rent, you need to set up a date with your tenant when it’s due. Usually, this date falls at the beginning, middle, or end of the month, not just any random date. Choose this date and tell your tenant to make sure that they are financially prepared for it. As a sort of safety blanket, you can give your tenants a 2 or 3 day grace period to pay without being subject to a late fee.

After figuring out how much your tenant is paying you, and when, it’s time to figure out how they will be paying you. At this day in age we have all sorts of ways to pay people insmoney tantly, allowing you to have lots of options and choose what’s best for you. We all know the classic payment method: checks. Checks are easy because mobile banking now allows you to cash them instantly, but they still require your tenant to bring them to you. Online payments are great because they’re pretty quick for both you, and your tenant. An online system works well when you have a lot of tenants. Another way that people transfer money that’s becoming quite popular is via mobile apps. Mobile apps like Venmo and Square Cash have made it possible for people to transfer money to each other almost instantly. Though this is still fairly new, it may be something you want to consider.

 

New User Questions

Expanding Your Business

As a property manager, you always have toooons of room to expand your business. But, the question is, how do you expand?

property management

Before anything, make sure you have a stable and organized property management business. Imagine if you have a house that doesn’t have a stable structure, do you think it’d be a good idea to expand it? Probably not. This same thing applies to business expansion. Without a stable facility, expansion isn’t in your best interest. Make sure your business is stable and that you have a good team, and good tenants.

A huge component in expanding your business lies within social media. A while back we talked about harnessing the power of social media for real estate, and as a property manager, the same tips are applicable to you. Using social media will give you followers beyond your tenants or direct business partners; it’ll let more people know what you have to offer and how they can get in on it. Maybe you can create a specific hashtag that your tenants can use to share your site across social media platforms, like Facebook, or Twitter.

Once you have maintained a strong and stable property management business, it may be time to physically expand your business by adding more properties. If you have the financial capacity to expand and have planned accordingly, look into similar properties that you can see as good investment options. Or, if you want to branch out of the property management route you’re currently taking (residential or commercial) and see what other kinds of properties would also work in your area. It’s really important to research the specific market that you’re working with and see what the needs are so that you can find a property that meets those needs.

 

New User Questions

Get Your Property Summer Ready

Whether you are new to the property management game or have been managing properties for years, a little help is always welcomed. The Tenant File property management software is an innovative program that helps to simplify your property management system. Although our rental property management software is very user friendly, we know that any new software can be daunting at first, so we provide industry leading support to help new users get started and comfortable with the program. Our property management expertise goes beyond just software know-how and we love to offer up advice whenever we can. So let’s talk seasonal maintenance…

It’s already June which means summer is upon us. If you haven’t already started summer maintenance tasks on your rental property, you should probably think about doing so. Completing these seasonal tasks as early as possible will ensure that summer is enjoyable for both you and your tenants. Here are some key tasks you want to be sure to check off the list this summer:

You may want to start inside the units and work your way out to the exterior. Make sure your tenants keep cool all summer long by scheduling cleaning and maintenance services for the air conditioning systems. It’s probably a good idea to leave behind some interior filters for the AC systems so your tenants can change those on a regular basis. For units with ceiling fans, tighten loose screws and adjust the direction of the fan blades to achieve optimal cooling. Finally, checking the windows and doors for air leaks, and sealing leaks if necessary, will ensure maximum energy efficiency.

When it comes to the exterior of your property there are plenty of preventative maintenance tasks that you can do every summer to keep your property in optimum physical condition, but we will just cover a few here. First, you’ll want to take a look around the outdoor walkways and paths. Fixing any damage or fractures will not only make the property more aesthetically appealing, it will also help to prevent possible injuries to tenants and guests. Next, you’ll want to inspect all the wood, wash the windows and clean the siding. Finally, cleaning and repairing the gutters is an important maintenance task that must be tackled regularly. Taking preventative measures like these to ensure that the outer surfaces and areas of your property are in the best condition possible could save you a lot of money in potential future repairs.

Here’s wishing you a relaxing, fun and sunny summer, from all of us here at Tenant File.

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Time of the (Hurricane) Season

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hurricaneWith hurricane season officially having started about  a week ago, it’s that time where having your property severe-storm ready is a must. As a homeowner, you have a big responsibility to make sure that your home is prepared for the upcoming severe weather; investing time and money into preparing your home can save you lots later on. Your tenant will also be happy knowing that you’re making a point to keep them safe.

Before the actual storm hits, be sure that all things that you have outdoors that have a risk of getting damaged, or flying away, are secured inside. If you have a shed, or something that can’t be picked up and moved inside, anchor it to the ground and make sure it’s locked. As far as windows or glass doors, make sure your property is protected! If shutters are too pricy, plywood is also a good way to board up any windows your home may have. You should also be sure to check your rain gutters and keep them clean so water can flow through easily and doesn’t accumulate.

If your property is in an area that usually gets hit pretty bad by hurricanes, you should definitely consider getting hurricane insurance. Just like other types of insurance there are different plans to choose from so it’s up to you to decide what kind of coverage is best for your home.

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Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Real Estate

It’s no secret that social media has come to be extremely embraced in many different facets of our lives. Because of social media, we hear news seconds after it happens, communicate with people from all over the world, and have endless ways to spread ideas. With all of this in mind, doesn’t it seem like you should be using social media to boost your real estate or property management business?

Social media is an awesome tool to get the word out about something to a lot of people at once. Social media is typically also free, so using it to your advantage has virtually no cost to you.  Another great thing about using social media is the variety and flexibility that you have available. There are all kinds of social media websites and applications, that allow you to share and spread loads of different content.

As a property manager or real estate agent, you can use social media in tons of ways. For starters, you should have social media accounts for your business and post from them regularly to generate traffic and have a follower base. If you have a property for sale osocial mediar for rent, post it on a social media site! Not only is this incredibly easy, but you also have the power to share it and have others share it as well. Maybe you’re trying to find a way to bring all your tenants together but you’re not really sure how…social media! You can create a post or event that will reach out to everyone at once.

Do some research about your target market and what the preferred form of social media is within that market, you’d be surprised at how far it’ll take you!

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A Community Within a Community

community

As a property manager, it’s your job to ensure that your residents feel happy and at home where they’re living. For a lot of people, this sense of “home” is largely based on how integrated they feel within the community. Depending on your property and residents, there are a few different ways you can foster this community feeling within your property.

If you have a property with a lot of units, and therefore a lot of residents, your residents may feel that they don’t know all the people living among them. To fix this, you can hold social events for  residents to come together. You can have different dinners and barbecues for holidays and events throughout the year. A potluck would be a great way to bring all your residents together and have them all contribute to the night, giving it a more personal feel.

Another really great way to give your property a community feel is by having communal areas for your residents. If possible, you can have a community pool and sports areas where your residents can come together in their spare time. If a lot of your residents have kids, you can have child play areas and a playground for both the parents and kids of your community to come together. For properties with a lot of college students (or even millennials!), you can make work areas where residents can study, print, or just use the computer. You can even use this communal area to hold viewing parties for a big TV premier or awards show.

If your residents feel as though they’re truly part of the community within your property, they’ll feel more at home and more comfortable living there.

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It’s all about the listing!

The listing of your property is one of the most important factors in getting people interested and drawing them in. Whether you’re a real estate agent, property manager, or just someone looking to rent out your home, you need to make sure you have a good listing that accurately represents your property.

Be sure to mention things that will draw people in, like a swimming pool or fireplace; these are things that aren’t common among all homes, so they make yours stand out. It’s also very important to use good language when writing up your listing. Writing “beautiful kitchen with granite counter tops and island perfect for entertaining” sounds significantly more appealing than just writing “granite counter tops and island in kitchen”. 

 

Be specific in your listing! Putting all the necessary information saves you the hassle of dealing with tons of phone calls from people who have to ask you things about your listing, and also makes it easier for potential tenants to know what to expect when they look at your property. Be clear about the number of rooms and bathrooms, as well as things like the square footage of your home; make sure you have the details that you know people will want to know.

Pictures are also a huge part of the listing, don’t think that because your wrote a detailed description you can omit the visuals. Make sure you have pictures that look good and “flatter” your property. The pictures shouldn’t be too edited otherwise they don’t really give an accurate image of your property and can be misleading to people once they go see it.

You want your listing to make people say “WOW! Now this is something I need to check out!”, so be sure that you this is what you’re conveying!