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Have you asked your property management company about the importance of days?

Dustin Edwards • Mar 05, 2021

Each Day Counts with Your Property Management Company

Property Management Days
Everyday is valuable….whether that means you are looking to enjoy the outdoors or you are talking about your real estate portfolio. Of course when it comes to your real estate portfolio the value of each day can take on an entirely different meaning.  

We encourage our clients to understand the long-term benefits of holding their Long Beach rental properties. There is a cost to each day. When you have a property management company it is important to understand how they approach key activities to understand the costs.

Whether you are going to manage your rental yourself, interview a Long Beach Property Management Company, or even call us to manage your property we encourage you to get the answers to the following questions to help you understand the costs of ownership.

How many days to get the property rental ready?
As soon as a property is vacant the clock is ticking. Your property goes from an asset (i.e. an object that produces income) to an expense (i.e. an object that costs you money). Whenever a tenant vacates a property there are inevitable items that must be done such as:

  • Clean the property
  • Identify items that need repair
  • Prepare property for the next tenant
  • Re-shoot pictures for advertising
  • etc.

This list may seem small. We encourage you to ask your potential property management company how long they will take to complete tasks when a tenant vacates a property.  

For example you could simply ask “On average, for a single family home in the Los Altos neighborhood, how long does it take you to get it rental ready?”.  

Regardless of how many days they share, dig deeper to find out what scope of repairs/preparation they handled and even ask “how long was your longest time period before a rental was ready to market?”. These questions aren’t designed as a gotcha, rather they are designed to help you understand the best case and worst case scenario when it comes to a vacant rental property.

How many many days to schedule a repair?

You might not think that the days to schedule a repair are that big of a deal but that can entirely depend on the tenant. Repairs are a big deal in California as consider just the basic two items:
  • Landlords are required to provide a liveable premises
  • Tenants can withhold rent if the property doesn’t meet minimal conditions
While we could go into much greater detail the fundamental truth is repair requests need to be responded to quickly and with a great deal of documentation to avoid potential conflict with your tenant. One person’s “not a big deal” is another person’s “emergency” and trying to understand the difference is futile which behooves you to understand from the property management company what are their time periods of response for a repair to ensure you can simply keep collecting rent.

How many days to get the property leased?
Once a property has started to be marketed for lease...how long is it before a tenant is occupying the property? Some property managers track their data better than others and if your property management company can’t give you an idea of how long it takes to lease up a property by property type (i.e. duplex, ADU, condo, single family home, etc.) then you might want to consider different alternatives.

If you think you can be flexible on the number of days that a property can sit vacant while being ready for lease consider the following:
  • If your mortgage on your rental is $2,800 a month
  • On average each day costs you $93+
  • If their average lease up period is 20 days, then that cost of that vacancy could be $1,866 to you.

If you find competitors are average 12-15 days then each day is more money in your pocket. The key is to ask the question and even have them provide you with the listings of their last 10-12 leased up properties to allow you to see for yourself the listing to lease up period for yourself.

Finding the right property management company that understands the importance of each day can be a challenge. When you would like to understand more about our timing standards for these situations and more we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 as we’d be happy to help. When you want a quick check to see how much your property could fetch in rent we invite you to fill out our Free Rental Analysis where we perform a comprehensive comparison to share your rental stacks up to the competition.


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By Dustin Edwards 01 May, 2024
Everyone wants to feel safe in their homes. As an investment property owner, it's up to you to decide whether or not to include security measures in your property. Many of the costs associated with the security measures can be included in the rent, meaning not only can you keep your property safe, but you can earn more income in the long run. However, you would still want your tenants to have renters insurance to protect their assets. Today, we’ll discuss the top five security measures you can add to your property and why they're beneficial to you and your tenant. Security Cameras Cameras are probably one of the first security measures people think about when asked about security. Cameras provide more benefits than just surveillance. They provide an extra level of security for the safety of the tenants and their belongings. Additionally, security cameras can be useful when repairs are required. Cameras can aid in supervising repairs and maintenance to ensure you’re receiving the agreed-upon work. During vacancies when the property is empty, security cameras can help keep the property safe from potential intruders. Doorbell cameras are incredibly popular now. They provide the aforementioned safety of a camera that can be accessed remotely, as well as the ability to communicate with visitors. Although one must be careful never to say you're not home, just say you're unavailable to strangers. Security Lights Security lights with motion detectors are another effective tool when adding security measures to your property. These lights brightly if a potential intruder attempts to get near your home. They can provide enough illumination to see the intruder or, at the very least, scare them off. Nowadays, you can find a combination of security cameras and motion-activated security lights, such as the floodlight cam wired plus from Ring . Additionally, because these lights only turn on when motion is detected, they’re more cost-effective than traditional lights with a switch. Illuminate the Property Light generally deters intruders as it's more difficult to hide. Adding lighting to the landscaping can increase the security of the property while creating a relaxing atmosphere. Lights can also be used in other areas of the property to accent features such as trees, benches, or artwork. This can help your property stand out while giving your tenants an additional feeling of safety. Keyless Entry Keyless entry is seen as both a convenience feature and a security feature. They usually use an electronic passcode, biometric data, or grant access through a smartphone app. Physical keys can be lost, stolen, or duplicated. You reduce the risk of unauthorized entry by eliminating the need for a physical key to enter the property. Many keyless entry systems include several features, such as remote locking and monitoring. Although keyless entry is a great new technology for keeping your tenants and properties safe, they’re best used with other security systems. Security Company Nothing beats having an extra pair of eyes on your property for security. This is where security companies like ADT and SimpliSafe come in. While companies may deal with security in varying ways, they aim to protect your investment. While safety is the primary role of a security company, remember that many tenants may be willing to pay more for a premium amenity like a home security company. Keeping your property and tenants safe is incredibly important to the longevity of an investment property. If you’re looking to improve the security of your Long Beach rental property or need help managing your beach city rental property, we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 or fill out our Owner Application online .
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