Managing your own Southern California rental property is going to take more time than you realize. Even if you’re only renting out a single unit, there will be tenant demands, rent to collect every month, and a lease to enforce. You’ll have a vacancy and you’ll need to market and show your home. There are laws that require your attention and you’ll need a system for tracking income and expenses.
Outsourcing property management can save you time and money. Even factoring in management fees, your property management partner can help you earn more and spend less by helping you avoid costly mistakes, reduce turnover, and place a better tenant faster.
We also help you save on the services and materials you need while reducing maintenance costs. In the end, outsourcing property management ensures the best possible outcomes for you and your property.
Outsource Property Management for Better Marketing
Marketing your home professionally and strategically will result in:
Lower vacancy times
Fewer advertising and marketing costs
Higher rents
Better tenants
With professional marketing resources, a property manager can get your listing in front of a wider range of tenants. If you work with a company like Bell Properties, we’ll place your property details on our own website and we remotely advertise on all of the most popular rental sites. Property managers know where tenants are looking for their next home, and we are sure to get your property in front of them.
As interest in your property begins to grow, you can expect your property manager to handle the phone calls and messages. They will follow up and answer questions, do a little pre-screening over the phone, and schedule showings.
This saves you a lot of time.
When tenants are interested in applying for your property, a good manager will walk them through the process. We provide easy online applications and tenant support along the way.
Outsourcing the tenant screening is almost a requirement, especially now when there are so many rules you must follow while screening tenants and avoiding discrimination.
You may not think that marketing a rental home really impacts your return on investment (ROI), but it does. Marketing well will reduce the time your property is vacant. It will attract the highest quality tenants so you can be sure you’re placing someone who pays rent on time and takes care of the home. It gets you the exposure you need to successfully rent your home. We include pertinent information in our listings such as rental amount, property size, and when it’s ready for occupancy. We include excellent photos, our contact information, and an invitation to see the home at the convenience of your potential tenants.
Save Time and Money with Professional Leasing in Los Angeles
How do you choose a tenant? At this point, outsourcing your property management is invaluable. That’s because tenant screening requires experience and resources. You don’t want to place the wrong tenant in your property. If you do, you’re risking:
Late payments
No payments
Eviction
Property damage
Lease violations
Conflicts and disputes
Our leasing process is systems-oriented. We collect all the necessary information on the tenant’s application and then we carefully screen them rigorously and consistently and in compliance with all state and local fair housing laws. The tenants a professional management company like ours will place are qualified, responsible, and reliable. We look for stable credit, good employment history, and enough income to cover the rent payments every month. We talk to former landlords and we make sure there aren’t any past due balances or debts owed to former landlords and property managers.
There’s more to the leasing process than screening tenants.
Once a tenant has been approved, it’s time to go over the terms of the lease with your tenants. This will take a tremendous amount of your time if you’re doing it alone. We want to make sure your residents understand the most important parts of the lease agreement, such as rent collection policies and a list of who is responsible for things like utilities, maintenance, and HOA fees. The tenants sign the lease, and we collect the security deposit while we agree upon a move-in date.
The benefits of outsourcing the leasing process are numerous. You get a more qualified tenant. You get a lease that is compliant with all California and federal laws. And, you can be sure your property is protected when we conduct our detailed move-in inspection. This documents the condition of your home and helps us establish whether any damage was left behind at the end of the lease period.
Los Angeles Property Management Maintenance and Inspections
Many Los Angeles landlords get frustrated with rental property maintenance, especially the costs involved. It’s expensive and time-consuming to respond to repair needs, put together a vendor list, and follow up to make sure the work was done properly.
Outsource this to a Bell Properties property manager, and you may find you’re spending less money and doing a better job of protecting the condition and value of your investment.
With a professional Southern California property manager, you can count on an immediate response to both routine and emergency maintenance. Good property management companies will invest in technology that allows tenants to submit maintenance requests online. This provides us with written documentation of the work that was done on your home. As a landlord, you’ll have access to those repair requests as well as the invoices that result from them.
Another benefit is your access to the excellent network of vendors who are affordable, licensed, and insured. You won’t have to worry about finding a plumber in the middle of the night when a tenant calls with a water leak. Finding good vendors has become more difficult than it once was; there’s a high demand for this type of skilled work, and the plumbers, electricians, and contractors you once took for granted can now pick and choose which assignments they take on. It helps if you have a property manager sharing these resources and able to negotiate their best rates.
Maintenance costs are always lower for professionally managed homes. We catch problems earlier and take care of preventative maintenance issues so there aren’t any big, expensive surprises. We work with great vendors and we coordinate everything with your tenants. The result is a well-maintained home that’s attractive to good tenants and increasing in value.
Save Time and Reduce Errors with Outsourced Accounting
Professional accounting services should be part of your property management agreement. You’ll get help keeping track of all the income and expenses associated with your property. When your property management company provides you with a monthly statement and detailed reports, you’ll always know how your property is performing. You won’t have to guess and you won’t have to assume. At tax time, you’ll have all the documents you need to file an accurate return.
In addition to providing you with financial oversight, we also help with financial management.
It takes a lot of your time to chase down a late rent payment. But if a tenant doesn’t pay rent on time when you have a property manager collecting rent for you, there’s no need to worry. We can begin a collection process that ensures the money comes in as soon as possible. We know how to collect, hold, and return the security deposit according to California law. We can ensure you are financially compliant at all times, and we can take care of making sure you don’t lose money on costly errors and tenant disputes.
Protecting You and Your Investment
You’ll be glad you hired a property management company if you find yourself needing to evict a tenant or show up in court. There are processes that need to be followed, and professional property managers understand them and can protect your property and your financial interests.
You can waste a lot of time and lose a lot of money trying to evict a tenant on your own.
We understand the California just cause eviction laws, and better yet: we have systems in place that will prevent evictions.
There’s also help with legal compliance and liability. Individual landlords are easy targets for fair housing claims, tenant lawsuits, and other risks. You will have a lot more peace of mind with a professional management company handling these things for you. Our team works with attorneys, insurance agents, accountants, and other professionals to make sure you’re protected at all times. We’re here to work with tenants on renters insurance, and we know how to respond if you receive a complaint from a state, local, or federal agency.
Consider outsourcing your property management when you want to save time and money. Consider our team at Bell Properties! Bell Properties’ experienced property managers provide services and value as well as resources that landlords have trouble accessing on their own. And, we save you money in the process.
Please contact us at Bell Properties California and we’ll talk about your property, your investment goals, and how we can help you have a better investment experience.
