When you're renting, there's usually a landlord. However, some landlords don't want to deal with all that fuss and hand over the responsibilities to a property manager. In the U.S., more than half (51%) of landlords choose to hire a property manager.
One recent story online highlights what happens when that property manager is another tenant. The renter describes how the Karen on-site landlord was doing everything she could to drive them out of the rental. So, when the time to move out came, they paid her back by going straight to the landlord with receipts about how she neglected to manage the property.
A renter found a creative way to get back at their Karen on-site landlord
Image credits: rawpixel.com / freepik (not the actual photo)
They went straight to the landlord and got her fired, and her rent doubled
Image credits: Wavebreak Media / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Jannissimo / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: peppersteak_headshot
Having an on-site property manager is beneficial for owners, but only when it is done right
Renting a property can be a great way to have a stable income. But with that comes the many worries of being a landlord. Some owners decide to relinquish the hassle of being a landlord and assign the role to another person.
Sometimes, they're even professionals who are called property managers in the industry. The Karen in this story is hardly an official or a professional manager, but more and more owners are choosing to have representatives who will manage their properties adequately.
In 2017, the number of owners choosing to have professional property managers was 30%, and by 2024, that percentage had risen to 36%. Granted, 64% of property owners choose to remain landlords or delegate that role to family, friends, or, as in this case, other tenants.
Whether or not to hire a professional manager is a personal decision, of course, but experts point out several advantages that make delegating the job to an on-site professional easier.
- Renters are happier. With a good on-site manager, complaints and repairs can be handled more quickly, leading to the tenants wanting to either stay longer or prefer this property to others.
- Efficient maintenance and repairs. This one is especially relevant to this story. A professional on-site manager is supposed to handle complaints efficiently, regardless of how they feel about the tenant.
- They collect rent on time. The landlord himself might not be able to visit his property often, but an on-site manager has a much better chance of collecting rent from tenants by the due date simply because of their proximity to the renters.
- They might build stronger relationships with the tenants. Again, the opposite happened in this story, but this just shows how bad a property manager, "Giselle," really is. Tenants rarely look at landlords as their friends because of the power dynamic. But a tenant who lives next to you and is sort of the landlord might seem much more relatable.
A bad on-site manager might get a property owner in trouble
Image credits: Drazen Zigic / freepik (not the actual photo)
This story is like a cautionary tale against assigning an unofficial property manager. Whereas professional property managers are well-versed in tenant and landlord laws, someone like "Giselle" only gets themselves into this position by accident and lacks the knowledge and necessary skills to represent a property owner properly.
But how can landlords have the guarantee that a property manager is legit? Even if it's not a professional, some information about them might help get a better picture of whether a person is trustworthy enough to be an on-site manager.
The experts at Beach Front Property Management recommend considering these factors:
- What kind of experience with properties do they have in general?
- Have they managed other properties in the past?
- Do they have any knowledge of leasing agreements, the tenant eviction process, and the legal standards for maintaining a property?
Having someone inexperienced like "Giselle" managing a property can even be dangerous for an owner. The author of this story could've potentially sued both "Giselle" and the true landlord for not making timely repairs and making their living space uninhabitable or dangerous.
The tenant in this case showed a good example of how record-keeping and a paper trail can be your friend. The landlord, it seems, should follow in that example.
Commenters thought that "Giselle" got exactly what she deserved
