Austin is a terrific place to own residential investment property – no question there.

The question is: If you already own or are buying rental homes in Austin, will you manage the property yourself or will you hire a professional to do it for you?

There are quite a few considerations in deciding whether to hire a property manager and we are here to help!

Turning over your rental property to the care of an unknown property manager can be an emotional and frightening experience. You want to be able to trust your property manager so that you won’t worry about your home. We recommend talking to several Property Managers. Finding the right fit is important and since everyone can be different, the more research and information you gather, the better you will feel about your final decision. Of course, we’d love the chance to earn your trust and manage your property!

Affordability: Yes, hiring a Property Manager does cut into your monthly income a bit, but it is probably less than you are thinking. For example, our property management fee is 8% of the monthly rent with a $75 monthly minimum. In our opinion that is a small amount for the considerable value your Property Manager is providing – Reliable. Time-Tested. Profitable Peace of Mind. Keep reading to understand just how much time, energy, and even money that hiring a Property Manager will save you!

Compliance with the law: Did you know that a landlord (you the owner) is responsible for understanding and properly applying the property management laws to your rental properties? Each state has the equivalent of a state property code that governs the responsibilities of landlords and tenants. Do you have the appropriate knowledge and time to apply these laws correctly? The list of issues is almost endless! To name a few:

• Fair Housing Laws
• Smoke detector codes
• Key and lock codes
• Tenant applications
• Applicant screening requirements
• Tenant security deposits
• Maintenance and repairs
• Evictions
• Sub-letting

Not to mention, your Property Manager can/will represent you in court if a tenant is ever evicted from your property. One less thing for you to worry about. Just this point alone is likely well worth hiring a Property Manager!

Business aptitude and skills: Ask yourself, are you willing to evict a family for non-payment? Eventually every landlord or property manager has a tenant who does not pay the rent – sometimes due to an emotional personal issue such as job loss or medical debt. Are you able to separate the personal from the business relationship? This is essential in order to protect your investment.

Even if you are able, do you want to spend your valuable time and energy tangled in tenants’ personal lives? A Property Manager takes on the responsibility to run your investment efficiently and legally while sparing your the time and emotion. We have the aptitude to show sympathy to such a situation while still taking the concrete, definite legal steps necessary to protect your investment.

Repairs and Maintenance: Do you have a network stable of trusted vendors you can depend on and trust to do quality work at a fair price? This is a key point in considering whether to hire a Property Manager.

It can take quite a bit of time to compare prices, reputation, service area and schedule availability for all the vendors you will regularly be using – plumbers, electricians, cleaners, painters, fence repair, general maintenance and specialized work. When you receive a repair request from a tenant, it is often essential for the integrity of your property that a vendor can attend to the issue that same day.

We work with a consistent group of vendors who have been serving our properties for years – some for nearly two decades. Through these long-term relationships, we can attest to the consistent and reliable high quality of their work as well as fair prices for the Austin market.

In addition to on-demand repair services, we provide annual preventive maintenance check-ups to help ensure the well-being of your property. Especially if you are an out-of-town owner, hiring a Property Manager who uses well-established, trustworthy vendors to service your property will offer you valuable peace of mind.

To Hire or Not to Hire? Residential Property Management can be a challenging and complex task. As a landlord you must decide if you will manage yourself or turn to a professional. Perhaps you have the legal knowledge, business aptitude, vendor network and extensive time required for effective self-management. If not, then hiring a property manager to navigate the potential mine-field of issues that inevitably arise will likely be well worth the investment.

People often find us by searching “property management Austin,” “rental home management austin, tx,” “property manager near me,” and “property management companies austin, tx.” We’d love to hear how you found us!