What Were The Worst Property Manager Mistakes In 2021?

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Even the best property owners and managers make mistakes. What do you imagine were some of the biggest blunders they made in 2021?

Our investigation of this question over the Internet turned up some common themes. Take a look!

Failing to Automate Administrative Tasks

Let's say you handle your own properties and didn't hire a skilled property manager in Houston to handle the work yet. (Perhaps you should in 2022!)

Property management isn't your skillset, so you still handle all the administrative tasks manually, from communicating with renters to rent collection to maintenance requests. Doing things the old-fashioned way might be comfortable to you, because you observed your predecessors do it this way in the 1970s, but you cost yourself a lot of time, stress, and money that way.

You can automate most of these tasks with appropriate property management software. If you do, you'll free yourself of many in-person meetings, loss of receipts, forgetten maintenance requests, and failure to collect rent payments on time. 

Failing to Screen Tenants Well

Every property owner wants to get their properties occupied as soon as they can, so the money rolls in. But if you don't screen tenants with care, you could wind up with a deadbeat who causes you nothing but problems.

You should check prospective renters' credit, income, and criminal history with every applicant. Even if the property sits empty for two months, you are better off doing this than accepting a tenant who eventually stops paying.

It could take you three or four months to get them out. 

Not Knowing the Condition of the Property

It's essential to perform regular property inspections so you know what needs to be repaired at the moment and in the near future.

Some property owners neglect regular inspections so they don't have to worry about the expense of property management. But delaying repairs almost always means the problems will grow more expensive. 

Let's say a Houston home's air conditioner hasn't been replaced for 10 years. We all know ACs in Texas get a brutal workout for at least four months of every year.

You've been understandably nervous about having to replace the unit, so you hoped it would last another year. But if you don't service the unit and check it every year, a minor problem could eventually cause the entire unit to fail. 

An annual inspection may catch the fact that the air compressor and coils need to be cleaned. That repair costs only $200. But if you fail to do it for years, it could break down the entire cooling unit!

Not Making It Easy to Pay Rent

You want to get paid, right? Property owners don't have to worry about chasing checks anymore. Most tenants like to pay their rent online because it's fast and easy. 

Give your tenants as many options as you can for them to pay the rent on time. They'll appreciate it if you make their lives easier, and you'll get your money on time. 

So make sure the rent payment portal is always working! 

Not Communicating with Tenants

Your tenants want to know you're there when they have a repair request. If you are only there to collect rent and don't seem to care about where they live, they will probably move out after a year.

This only creates more work for you. So when a maintenance request comes into the office, have an employee address it the same day or even within the same hour if possible. 

Then have the property inspected within one or two business days and get the repair done quickly if it's necessary. Remembering the above mistakes committed by other property owners in the last year can help you avoid trouble in 2022.