Not all property managers are the same. As you compare property management companies in San Antonio, you’ll find a wide range of prices, experience levels, business practices, and management styles. It’s essential that you find not only a great property manager, but that you find the right property manager for your property portfolio.
If you talk with other property investors, you’ll probably hear horror stories about bad experiences they’ve had with incompetent or corrupt San Antonio property management companies. That’s something you should never have to deal with.
These are the red flags to watch out for that will let you know if a supposedly full-service property management company is not for you.
High Tenant Turnover
Vacancies take money right out of your pocket, and it’s absolutely crucial that you work with one of the best property management companies in San Antonio to effectively retain tenants. It may be the single most important job a property manager does. One of the sure signs that a property manager isn’t doing their job well is high tenant turnover.
Property managers are responsible for a lot of tasks that should keep tenants happy and satisfied—maintenance and repairs, conflict resolution—and If tenants don’t want to stay in a property long-term, that often means that their needs are not being met. At San Antonio Property Management, we take pride in managing properties where the average tenant stays for over two years.
Repeated Owner Complaints
Listen to what investors who have worked with your property management company have to say. Firsthand accounts are the best way to assess how good a job a property management company does. While it’s nice to read owner testimonials affirming a company’s quality, it’s always a good idea to real the more negative reviews too.
Be careful about putting too much stock in any single review: anyone can have a bad experience and use the internet to vent about it—but watch out for patterns. If you see multiple owners making the same complaint about a property management company in the San Antonio area, or if you see that a particular owner had the same issue time and again with no resolution, that’s a red flag. It suggests that the property management company in question either doesn’t care—or doesn’t have the resources to address the issue.
Lack of Communication
Communication is crucial to building trust. That’s why transparency and ease of communication between you and your property management company is absolutely essential. You always need to be kept informed, and should never be in the dark about what’s going on in your properties. If your property management team keeps putting you off, won’t call you back, or doesn’t share the information you need, that’s a huge red flag.
To find the best property management companies in San Antonio, look for a property manager who is strong in keeping you informed and up to date. Information on property activity, including maintenance, vacancies, inspections, leasing, and financial reports, should be easily accessible to you at all times. Be very careful about working with any company that doesn’t readily share this information.
Disinterested Attitude
An active interest in your rental property is one of the key traits to look for in a property manager. Meet with property managers for an in-person interview before hiring them, and pay close attention to the way they interact with you.
- Do they listen actively?
- Are they patient and respectful?
- Do they ask insightful questions?
- Do they offer helpful suggestions?
- Do they seem to genuinely care about your goals?
When you talk with a property manager for the first time, they should be actively interested in your specific needs as the owner of rental properties.
- One of the biggest red flags to watch out for is a property manager who doesn’t care.
- If they seem disengaged, disinterested, or rude during your interview, they’re sure to bring that attitude to the job when they’re managing your portfolio.
- Worse, they’ll probably treat your tenants the same way—which is a recipe for failure.
How Can You Find the Right Partner?
With so many property management companies in San Antonio to choose from, it’s important to weed out the ones who can’t—or won’t—effectively manage your properties. Thankfully, you don’t have to try and find the right property management partner on your own.
Our team of property management specialists are always eager to answer your questions and offer expert advice on how to find the right property management company to fit your portfolio. As a company, San Antonio Property Management has 25 years of industry experience managing properties all over the U.S. Here in the San Antonio area, and we’ve learned that no two properties are the same.
If you are interested in having your property managed by Real Property Management Campanas, have more questions, or just want to speak to one of our team members, then contact us online or call us directly at (210) 314-1039 today!
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
