r/PropertyManagement

PM here.

Just watched a Squatter hunters video where a guy created a whole fake ass PM company, pitched landlords on guaranteed rent, then had the company lease the property... to himself. since the lease wasn't in his personal name, he figured it'd be harder to come after him. never paid a dime in rent and squatted until he got kicked out.

have seen some wild tenant drama tbh, but setting up an entire fake management business just to squat in a house is next level unhinged.

I have a few questions:

1. My company won’t pay overtime. I’m salaried and they just say if you need to go in for an hour, take an hour off during the week. The problem is that there are probably 2-3 calls per night and I live 25 minutes away. With the hours I build up, I’m never able to cash them in because I have way too much stuff to do during the week. There is no form of stipend or bonus for the oncall work. Is this legal?

2. For those of you with spouses, how do you operate on call to be respectful of their sleep? Do you have to resort to sleeping in separate rooms?

Hey there everyone,

I currently work as the on-site manager for a 100 unit apartment complex. I am the only office staff for this property. We also have a full time maintenance tech on site.

Currently, we use a Google sheet to make our vacancy sheets and keep track of available units, on notice units, overall. We have to give End of day reports with these numbers if we are below 98%.

If we are below 98% occupancy/ projected occupancy, we get personal emails about our failure to lease and are pushed to do more. We are both personally called out by the regional manager via personal emails as well as called out in the weekly emails that are sent about occupancy weekly. Naming our properties and telling us to do better while asking why we aren't renting enough. We have to respond that same day to the list of questions they ask. Demanding to know why our tours aren't converting, what we are doing to market more, asking about objections we face, etc. Not that we will get any real support...

I'm in a situation where I have 100 units on my property that I am responsible for renting out and keeping occupancy up for... It's a lower price point community. We have had some bad luck with eviction units and the units being trashed so badly that they are un rentable for months. I have two units on site that have been hurting my numbers for 6+ months at this point. Upper management won't pay the money to fix them and I'm required to have them on my vacancy sheet impacting my numbers. Now, we just gained another eviction unit that will sit there for ages due to needing a complete gutting and remodel. Which they don't want to pay for or be concerned with.

Should these units that I physically can't rent count against my numbers and be considered as a failure on my part?? Because as it stands, they do. I would have been at 100% capacity for 4+ months if not for those two units. Now with summer move outs, my occupancy went from 98% to 95% and I'm getting those lovely weekly hate mails again and told that I'm not doing enough... (Yes, 3 units are unavailable to rent due to the state of the units)

I’m wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience because I honestly feel stuck.

We own a short-term rental that’s managed by a property management company, and lately it feels like we’re the ones taking all the risk while the management company has very little incentive to protect the property.

We’ve had multiple bad guest experiences. One group booked with an occupancy limit of 8 guests but ended up having 30+ people at the house. The rental agreement specifically prohibits parties and events, so this was a direct violation of the contract. During their stay, they also ignored a clearly posted “NO TRESPASSING – DANGER” sign and tore down the barrier around a balcony that was under construction because it wasn’t safe to access.

A different group moved our personal property so they could park where they wanted, took our designated owner parking space (which is there so we can quickly access the property if maintenance is needed), drove onto our landscaping, and even dented our garage.

What has been even more frustrating is how the management company has handled everything. From our perspective, they seem much more focused on avoiding conflict with guests and keeping reviews positive than enforcing the rental agreement or taking safety concerns seriously. They haven’t made us feel like they’re advocating for us or doing much to make the situation right.

We signed with a management company because we wanted professionals making sure the property was being cared for, guests were following the rules, and safety issues were taken seriously. Instead, we feel trapped in a system where guests can violate the rental agreement, ignore safety precautions, damage the property, and leave us with the bill.

Has anyone else had an experience like this? Is this just how property management works, or should we expect more from a company that’s supposed to be looking out for our property? Any advice would be appreciated, I feel taken advantage of and don’t know what to do.

I'm looking for advice from landlords or property managers who have dealt with high-maintenance tenants.

I own an older rental in a very tenant-friendly jurisdiction. I'm proactive about maintenance and fix issues properly, but as expected with an older property, things come up from time to time. I've been self-managing this tenant for a few years, but I'm ready to hand off the maintenance and day-to-day management because I really don’t have the time and energy for property management anymore.

The tenant previously escalated a significant maintenance issue to the local housing authority. It was ultimately resolved well, and our relationship has improved since then, but they still seem demanding and may escalate concerns if they're unsatisfied. On the other hand, they always pay rent on time, follow the rules, report maintenance issues promptly, and are otherwise reasonable.

I'm deciding between two property management companies:

Company A

• Pros: Boutique firm recommended by my attorney. Experienced with difficult tenants, lease enforcement, and has capable in-house maintenance.
• Cons: Higher fees, mixed/polarized online reviews, and I worry they may come across as too confrontational and increase tension.

Company B

• Pros: Larger, more established firm with excellent online reviews. They seem to have streamlined maintenance processes, are well regarded by tenants, and tend to manage properties that are already well maintained (which mine is).
• Cons: I'm unsure how experienced they are with tenants who push boundaries or threaten complaints, as they seem more process-driven and less personal in day-to-day interactions. Their in-house maintenance is also limited, so they'd rely on outside vendors for more complex work, which may not save me much compared to using my own contractors.

Given this situation, would you choose the firm that's stronger at conflict management or the one that's known for building positive tenant relationships with streamlined maintenance process? For those who've hired PMs for challenging tenants, what qualities ended up mattering most?

Hello!

I have been working in the leasing industry for three years this August. I was specifically selected to be part of a lease-up with long term employees that are also taking higher up positions!

Is there any advice you guys can give me? I know the work load will be different, but ofc this is different for me as it will be my first time doing a lease-up!

How do you actually know if rent is late?

I've got 3 properties and I'm realizing my "system" is just checking my bank app every morning like a psycho

For those with more than 1-2 units, how do you track who's paid and who hasn't without manually checking accounts?

|'ve tried spreadsheets but I forget to update them. Curious what's actuallv workina for small landlords (under 10 units) vs the big PM software that's overkill

Pretty sure i know what the general consensus will be here but managing a few SFHs in the area, got one property with a 25 year old AC that is somehow still blowing cold.

Do I bite the bullet and replace it this shoulder season since I have a quote on hand, or just cross my fingers and wait for it to die? The main reason I'm hesitating is the cash flow hit - dropping four grand right now when the current unit works fine feels painful, especially since these old systems were built like tanks and might last another five years. Plus, tenants pay their own electric bills anyway, so the efficiency upgrade doesn't really save me a dime. My main worry is that if I wait for a total breakdown in July-August or ever, I'll be stuck paying emergency weekend rates and dealing with pissed off tenants.

I'm hoping someone can explain this because I'm really confused.

I applied for an apartment and later received a welcome letter along with all of my leasing information. I also paid the required security deposit, which was a full month's rent.

A few days later, I received an email from RentGrow saying they had sent me an FCRA Adverse Action Letter because of Limited Credit Experience.

After looking into it more, I found out that RentGrow had actually conditionally approved me. Since I don't have an established credit score, the apartment required the higher security deposit as a condition of approval, which I completely understood and already paid.

What I don't understand is why I received an adverse action letter after everything had already been approved and moved forward. Is this simply a legal notice that RentGrow has to send anytime a conditional approval is based on information in a consumer report? Or does it mean something else?

Thank You.

So the PM has checked off on bi annual inspections that the airfilters have been changed. Upon the move out inspection as well. We send airfilters for free every 3 months a 3 pack. Tenant moves out a there is over a year supply of air filters left behind as well as a very dirty one in use. Yes it’s in the lease that they change it. We have a new PM starting now . This is just one issue among others. Do I call them out with photos or just move on? It’s important that the systems of the property are maintained.

Not familiar with Denver (at all) but am moving there in August. I need to be in the Hale and or Cherry Creek areas. Any advice (that’s not snarky 😂) on any good apartment complexes (that takes dogs), would be appreciated. Thank you in advance!!

I’m taking over the management for a small complex for my aging parents. They had a pretty weak original lease which I’ve updated and they live further away so they haven’t had eyes on the day to day. I’m moving into one of the units.

While most historical issues have been mild (all long term section 8 tenants). There’s been a recurring issue with one of the occupants (adult child of the tenant who may have behavior issues). He’s been told previously to keep his dog on leash. And there’s evidence of dog waste in the yard space that he doesn’t clean up. I suppose because there hasn’t been significant“enforcement” the assumption is I’ll do what I want because nothing will happen.

They will be sending out the new lease that has a pet addendum and property and unit rules.

I haven’t officially moved in or announced that I’ll be managing the property yet. I’m new to this and curious how do you strike a balance of having tenants cooperate with the rules while you live in close proximity.

I understand the lease is the lease and a violation of that puts them at risk. How have live in landlords/PMs successfully navigated tenant issues?

Just started a new job at a 250+ lease up as the maintenance supervisor. It's my first role as a supervisor. Only 2 building are open so far but I'm kinda intimidated. Anything I should do to prepare myself? Tips?

Hi there!

I’m an international student at Illinois renting from a local rental company. Last semester(2025 fall) I had went back to my country because my grandfather got in ICU one day and the doctor told us my he was in bad condition. I then subleased my apartment to another student but he didn’t take the whole lease rather he rented til June 2026( the lease ends in August).

Everything went smoothly until June when my subleassee was leaving. I was not in the state yet, so I asked to give the keys to the office because all my friends were graduating and I had no one to keep my keys around the school. However, when I got to the office they told me they have cleared all of my belongings because turning in the keys will automatically be seen as a surrendering possession of the unit and if I wanted to
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I was very upset about this because I never write any notice of move-out to them but now I am automatically considered moved out by them before the lease ends and I even had to pay the rent for the final month for this unit. I am considering not paying the last month rent because of this, but I still have a year to go so I am wondering will I be in any problems because of not paying rent?( I paid a deposit worth of one month’s rent and I have paid the utilities for the last month)

Thanks very much for all the helps!

I manage a beach rental with a tight checkout window, and bedding is the one part of turnover that keeps slowing everything down. The beds need to look clean in photos, but the laundry also has to survive constant washing and commercial dryers. Duvet covers look nicer, but button closures and slow-drying fabric are a headache when the cleaners are moving fast. Cheap microfiber covers dry quickly, but they wrinkle weirdly and can make the room feel budget. For anyone managing high-turnover rentals, what system has actually worked long term? Are zipper duvet covers worth it, is triple-sheeting faster, or is a washable comforter the least painful option once you factor in labor and replacement cost?

I was in the middle of budgeting when I realized that I have two separate bills that have gas charges on them. Apartment complex is located in Maryland and wanted to see if this was a common occurrence or if it explicitly violates any rental laws.

My main leasing contract states the property's use of the Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS) for gas, water, and sewage:

"gas bills will be billed by the service provider to us and then allocated to you based on the following formula: 6" "3rd party billing company if applicable: Conservice (Note: Formula 6 is defined in the lease key as an allocation based on the number of occupants)."

Because there is a direct physical meter tied to my unit and I pay for electricity directly, I have an individual direct account active with BGE. However, because actual gas usage is tied to the landlord’s master bill and processed through Conservice, my standalone BGE meter reads practically nothing.

Here is what I am paying every month:

Direct BGE Bill: Shows exactly 1 therm used (basically zero usage). But BGE charges me a $16.15 flat Customer Charge and a $1.08 Distribution Charge, totaling $17.60 strictly for "Gas Delivery".

Conservice Bill: For the exact same service period, Conservice charges me $18.44 for "Gas Usage" using the building's RUBS occupancy formula, plus a $3.66 service fee. I am paying BGE out of pocket to keep up the physical gas grid connection for my unit while simultaneously paying the landlord through Conservice for the actual gas usage.

I've called BGE to see if maybe I set up my account incorrectly but they stated that it is entirely up to the property management company how they want the lines and accounts registered. I have messaged the property management company to ask about this as well as request the last 2 master bills to look into it further.

Is this overlap normal or is it fishy? Trying to see if I have a "case" or not.

Added Note: I am in no way disputing the Conservice charges, those I understand, my concern / confusion is about the separate BGE charges

Florida.

lets say a tenant has a disability from a medical condition, and they have been given 24 hour notice of a quarterly inspection. however, they are currently ill from this medical condition and it would be a medical burden on them to have the inspection and visitors within 24 hours. can they ask for a reasonable accommodation for an extension of time for the inspection and would something like this be likely protected under federal law that management would have to comply?

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I am having extremely unusual water usage at a property that has three units and commingled water bills. I cannot bill each tenants separately. It's literally several hundred gallons of water every few days in the middle of the night so I'm pretty sure it's a toilet but everyone is saying it's not them. Is there a relatively easy way to install like a water meter reader on a toilet? I know there are smart ones that connect to the internet for the entire home, and I know that there are ones that attached to the water meter, but I'm just looking for one that can install for just one device and doesn't need Wi-Fi or anything.