Do Not Discrimate Against Families With Children - 08/27/10 12:54 PM
The U.S. Department of Houseing and Urban Development has charged a rental owner and their onsite manager with housing discrimination in the state of Ohio.  They refused to rent certain apartments in their complex to families with children.
No owner or manager may refuse to rent to a family with children as their basis for denial.  If you are an owner of rental property do not make up your own rules without getting educated.
 
 
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Why Tenants Do Not Report Repairs - 08/22/10 01:52 PM
I think it is human nature to avoid contact with the person that controls the levers in our lives.  Especially the lever that that increase costs.
In the case of the landlord tenant relationship, I think a tenant may avoid reporting repairs if they feel the landlord might see the need to increase the rent to cover the costs. 
With this in mind, a prudent landlord will want to increase rents on an annual basis and inspect and make repairs on a regular basis.  Do not let the tenant control when repairs are discovered.  Get in there on an annual basis … (4 comments)

How Often Should You Inspect Your Rental? - 08/21/10 07:39 PM
At HomePointe Property Management we suggest to our clients that they let us see the inside of their rental at least once year.  Many owners decline this inspection claiming it costs money and may result in repairs.  We also suggest that our clients get a structural inspection (sometimes called a structural pest report) every two years.  Virtually all of our clients decline the offer to do this.  It can cost a few hundred dollars and that would be the main reason they decline.
The city and county of Sacramento know that rental property owners left to their own devices will not … (5 comments)

If Home Grown Marijuana Becomes Legal What Will Landords Do? - 08/08/10 12:38 PM
California may well vote to legalize marijuana growing for personal use this November.  That creates a situation where landlords will have to deal with what they think about having their tenants growing the drug in their back yards, garages, and inside the home.
In my book it is the same as allowing a tenant a pet or allowing a tenant to smoke inside the unit.  We landlords can limit or deny pets (unless they are seeing eye dogs or companion animals) and we can deny a tenant the right to smoke inside the property.
So, I think we should be allowed … (3 comments)

Better Business Bureau Rates HomePointe A+ - 08/03/10 02:59 PM
We checked the BBB's website today and noted that we have an A+ rating.  That is nice!
I have to admit that we do have complaints.  Tenants about getting declined a rental and about deposit refunds.  Owners that don't want to pay bills also come up. 
I do review every complaint and most of them are situations where the expectations of the client are no where near what we are able to provide. 
Property management is a dynamic business with lots of interaction and money being spent.  I often remind myself that we in a people business more than a property … (2 comments)

Do Not Steer Your Prospective Residents - 08/03/10 02:52 PM
As property manager's we get asked all kinds of questions about the properties we manage and the neighborhoods they are in.
We have to be careful not to steer a prospective resident in their search.  My attitude is that all neighborhoods have their positives and negatives and my personal choices have nothing to do with the people looking for a vacancy. 
One of our property managers was recently asked what neighborhoods to recommend. She correctly told them how to use our website to locate property and that she could not comment on whether a neighborhood was good or bad.
This is … (1 comments)