How do you know which company to choose when it comes to property management? Birmingham landlords have a lot of options out there, and it can be difficult to discern which property management company has your best interests at heart. Just Google “rent my home” and you’ll see pages and pages of search results for companies all around the area.
At Specialized Property Management Birmingham, we encourage you to shop around! Finding a company that understands your unique needs and has the right experience and knowledge is paramount to a successful investment. We believe that you deserve a property management team that can guide you through every step of the leasing process and beyond. Before hiring a property manager, consider asking the following questions.
Do You Have Local Expertise?
A property management company can be qualified in a myriad of ways, but not have the local knowledge to understand the rental market where you’re buying. If you choose to hire a company that doesn’t live in your buying area, you may end up with a rental rate that’s too high and deters great tenants. At the same time, an inexperienced company without local expertise can price a property too low and not earn you the profits you deserve. At Specialized Birmingham, we live where we work! We know the Birmingham area and promise to set a competitive rental rate that gets your home leased quickly, while still earning you a nice profit.
What Advertising Methods Do You Use?
If the property management company you’re interviewing isn’t committed to actively marketing your home, they’re not committed to YOU. All the homes we manage at Specialized Birmingham are leased in 29 days or less! With a pre-leasing property assessment, we’ll ensure your property is ready to rent quickly. We also promise to market your home using our vast advertising network. We’ll post it on over 85 rental listing sites, maximizing its exposure and guaranteeing a large pool of potential tenants. Taking advantage of 3D photos and virtual video tours, we’ll showcase all of your home’s best features from every angle.
How Do You Screen Potential Property Management Birmingham Tenants?
Inexperienced property management companies will lease your rental home to the first tenant who shows any interest. We don’t believe that’s effective. We want you to have quality tenants that will stay for a long time. That’s why we do our part to check credit and criminal background and verify employment and income. We want you to feel good about the tenant you’re getting, so we take that extra step to call previous landlords and inquire about rental history, too.
How Do You Handle Maintenance?
Unresolved maintenance issues are the number one reason why tenants move. Don’t hire a property management company that can’t deal with maintenance in a timely manner. When property owners work with us, we’ll provide their tenants with a 24/7 maintenance hotline, where they can call us any time of the day or night to report maintenance issues. We also allow tenants to email us at their convenience. Once an issue is reported, we quickly do all we can to fix it promptly, simultaneously informing you of the steps we’re taking and communicating to you when the issue is resolved.
What Are Your Methods for Rental Property Upkeep?
While a tenant is living in your home, property upkeep shouldn’t fall through the cracks. At Specialized Birmingham, we perform quarterly property inspections with a qualified licensed home inspector to ensure both the inside and outside of your property stays in great shape. Regular property inspections also let the tenant know that you care what happens to the property, and they will in turn be more motivated to take care of it. Because these inspections happen four times a year, they are also a great time to make sure tenants are in compliance with all the rules stipulated in the leasing agreement.
Is There a Way for Tenants to Pay Rent Online?
These days, almost no one pays rent in person anymore. The company you hire should use an online system that allows tenants to pay rent in a straightforward way. If you decide to work with us, tenants can pay rent through our website, where funds are electronically sent through ACH into the property owner’s account for the fastest possible payment. Does your tenant pay rent late over and over again? Our automatic collections process makes property management Birmingham easier.
Your Specialized Guarantees
Still not convinced we’re the ones for the job? We offer our clients guarantees that they won’t find anywhere else. We believe so wholeheartedly in our proven processes and comprehensive property management services that we offer the following guarantees:
Price Match Guarantee
Found a company that promises to do everything we do for a lower price? We’ll gladly match it! All you have to do is present the competitor’s proposal to your Specialized representative before signing your property management Birmingham agreement. This only applies to new contracts for properties we do not already manage.
60-Day Money Back Guarantee
We believe with our full team of experts in leasing, maintenance, accounting, compliance, and rental management, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another company as qualified as ours. However, sometimes our services aren’t needed in particular situations, so we allow our customers a Hassle-Free Cancellation Guarantee without any red tape. You’ll get your money back after 60 days if you are not completely satisfied. We are dedicated to superior performance and strong relationships with our clients, so if it’s not right, we’ll “make it right”!
10-Month Tenant Guarantee
Tenant turnover is a big problem in this industry, so to ensure you’ll have a tenant who stays, we
guarantee all the tenants we place for 10 months. Any tenants placed by the owner or another property manager don’t fall under this umbrella, neither do military tenants who must move due to orders or transfers. If a tenant wants to break the lease by paying all required fees, they also won’t be covered by this 10-month guarantee.
Customer for Life Price Guarantee
Forget about earning a profit if you’re spending it all on management fees! We feel our property management Birmingham clients deserve a set fee for three years so they can budget for the future without worrying about potential fee increases. If you come across additional rental properties that are too good to pass up during those three years, we promise to honor your initial fee for those properties as well.
Maintenance Repairs Guarantee
We’ve already covered how maintenance emergencies can be reported directly to us through the 24/7 hotline or making a request over email. Once a repair is complete, we guarantee it! Our professionally trained maintenance specialists will do whatever it takes to finish the repair and get it right the first time. Plus, you can also minimize your expenses as a property owner with our preferred vendor discounts and in-house system.
Legal & Accounting Compliance Guarantee
We protect our rental owners from severe financial and legal risks with a firm guarantee that your home will comply with all municipal, state, and federal laws. We promise your financials will successfully meet all the criteria required by the State Department of Real Estate and all CPA GAAP regulations. All the records kept on the rental property will be easily accessible and organized in case of a regulatory audit. You’ll have access to:
- Move in and Move Out Inspection Reports
- Financial Deposit Records
- High definition photos
- 3D Video Tours
- Tenant Notices
- Year-End Tax Reports
We also offer investment analysis technology with real-time business intelligence reporting. That means you’ll always know what’s happening with your property in real-time. Our industry-leading technology, Rental IQ®, ensures the protection of your property at every stage of the leasing cycle.
Eviction Protection Guarantee
We have the lowest eviction rate in Birmingham with less than 1% of our placed tenants resulting in an eviction. But, for the first 10 months of the management agreement, if an eviction is necessary, you won’t have to pay anything for it. We’ll cover the cost and handle everything for you. When your tenant reaches the 11th month of residence, you can continue to protect yourself through our Eviction Protection Plan for only $14 per month. Our EPP covers the costs of filing fees, legal fees, and court costs for unlawful detainer actions plus the cost of a Writ of Possession.
Choose Specialized Property Management Birmingham
If you hire an effective, professional property management company, you shouldn’t have to think to yourself, “I wonder why no one wants to rent my home?” Our goal at Specialized Property management Birmingham is to work diligently with our clients to maximize their profits and minimize their hassles, renting out their home to responsible, quality tenants. We have over 30 years of experience in this industry and stand behind our proven methods and effective strategies. We’re the best at what we do because we love what we do. Give us a call today at 205-417-1572, and we promise to answer all of your questions about property management. We look forward to hearing from you!