River Drive Properties provides effective and professional property management services in Merced and the surrounding areas including Fresno, Modesto, and Turlock. We have extensive experience with both single-family homes and multifamily properties.

Often, we’re asked about what types of services Merced and Fresno property management companies should offer. Today, we’re discussing some of the basics you should look for when you’re choosing a property manager. These are the simplest things that must be included in good leasing and management. If you’re working with a management company that doesn’t do these things for you, it might be time to upgrade to a better property management partner.

Communication Should be Responsive

When a new client comes to us, it’s often with a list of complaints about how poorly their former property managers communicated. Lack of communication is unacceptable. Your property management company should be able to provide routine responses to your questions. If you’re getting the wrong information or bad advice, that’s even worse. The usual complaint we hear is that property managers don’t answer their phones and calls and messages are left unanswered.

This should not be the norm.

Smart investors and landlords know how important communication can be. It’s impossible to have a successful investment experience without communication. You need to trust that you’re hearing from your property management company because if they’re not communicating well with you, there’s a good chance they’re not communicating well with your tenants either.

Your Property Should be in Excellent Condition

A good property management company will protect the condition and the value of your investment. This requires attention to routine and emergency maintenance. There should be frequent walk-throughs and drive-bys. If a property manager isn’t taking care of your rental property, there’s going to be a lot of deferred maintenance, which is expensive and more complicated. It’s better to take care of repair problems while they’re small and manageable.

You need to be able to count on inspections so you know that your property is in good condition and the tenants are taking care of it. At River Drive Properties, we have a staff person dedicated to inspecting the properties we manage. We provide our owners with reports and pictures.

Accounting Should be Detailed, Accurate, and Transparent

One of the most basic functions of a Merced property manager is rent collection. You should expect tenants to pay on time, and you should expect your property managers to pay you on time.

In addition to getting paid consistently, you should also expect accurate, detailed, and transparent property management accounting. At the very least, you want to receive statements every month that reflect all of the income and expenses associated with your investment.

Your property management company should invest in the best available technology, which will include providing an online portal, where you can see everything that touches your account. If you’re noticing hidden fees or your rent payments never seem to arrive on time, you need to hold your property management team accountable for those issues. If you cannot get satisfactory answers from them, take your business elsewhere.

These are some of the basic services that any property manager should provide. But, why settle for the basics? Look for a Merced property management company that goes above and beyond, and sets a higher standard than the competition.

We’re that company. If you have any questions or need any help, please contact our team at River Drive Properties.