Halloween is upon us! Time to scare our families and friends, put up some creepy decorations and have some fun!
Property Management companies are no exception – most of them like scaring the bejeezus out of their clients. The ma
in difference? Our competitors do it all year round with their incredibly frightening hidden fees!
Example 1: A leading property management company advertises that they charge a low $99/month fee to manage a property. With this advertising, they lure unsuspecting clients into their web… and SURPRISE! There is really a tenant placement fee of one month’s rent to put tenants in the property, there are hourly fees for services included with property management services, setup fees… And escaping the web is nearly impossible! They advertise “no cancellation fee”… but then they hold you in their web if you try to cancel, perpetually passed from department to department… the poor clients are stuck in that web with no hope of escape!
Example 2: A property management company makes their clients think it’s all “treats” and no “tricks” and brags about their showing availability “7 days a week.” The clients are so excited that someone will be showing their property 7 days a week, and they sign up for the service… Only to be tricked
! The property management company isn’t showing the property at all! They are using a service which allows prospective tenants to be given the lockbox code and visit the property unattended for showings! No that’s a haunting thought. Spooky lights left on, ghostly settings on the thermostat, and even a creaking front door left wide open! Many property management companies are turning to these “access services” to cut their own costs, while still telling clients they show their properties.
Example 3: A property management company tells new potential clients they have an “in-house” maintenance division, as a way to control the quality of work and ensure low pricing. The devil is in the details with this one! The property management company uses their maintenance division as a profit center! Every time a tenant complains about something simple, whether it’s a tripped breaker, a thermostat that needs batteries, a garage door with a kids bike blocking the sensor, the management company sends out their maintenance team! Ghoulish invoices ensue, for work that may as well have been completed by a ghost… but the clients pay. They pay over and over, for repairs that weren’t needed and that were marked up by the “trick” of an in-house maintenance division for a property management company.
Stay safe this Halloween!
– The Wickedly Honest and Effective Team at Real Estate Solutions (that NEVER has hidden fees!)
