Over 100 Great Questions to Ask a Property Manager

Questions to Ask A Property Manager

The property manager you choose to manage your rentals can make or break your real estate investing career. That is why it is extremely important to find one who will take great care of your property. After all, that is why you are hiring them and not managing it yourself right? That is why we came up with this Ultimate Property Manager Question Guide!

This Property Manager Question Guide gives you over 100 questions to ask a property manager.

Ask Questions Before You Hire a Property Manager

It is important that you understand how a property manager operates their business before you decide to hire them. Once you have signed a contract with them it is binding. And typically the only way to break it is to pay a penalty.

Get to know their operations before making a decision. So ask a prospective property manager all the questions you can think of before signing the contract. Otherwise, you could come to find out later that you don’t agree with how they run their business.

We have made a list of over 100 questions to ask a property manager so you don’t miss anything!

Characteristics of a Good Property Manager

Problem Solver
Truthful
Trustworthy
Communicative
Negotiator

These are just some of the characteristics of a property manager. Someone who you can trust will make wise decisions when it comes to your rental property. Who can communicate and negotiate well and can solve problems smoothly.

What to Look for in a Property Manager

With the help of our Ultimate Property Manager Question Guide, you will have all the questions you need and more in order to thoroughly interview prospective property managers. There are over 100 questions to ask a property manager.

The 7 Categories of Questions to Ask a Property Manager

Property Manager Background
Fee Structure and Management Contract
Legal History and Prevention
Property Manager and Home Owner Communication
Leases and Tenant Screening
Property Marketing
Property Maintenance and Tenant Relations

Through each category, you are trying to answer some simple overarching questions about them and how they operate. The ultimate goal is to find out if they are good at what they do and to understand if you are comfortable with them managing your rental. You want to find a great property manager!

1) Property Manager Background

Have they been successful at property management?

You want to see what their property management history is like. If they’ve been working in the industry for a long time, and they have maintained their management inventory this is typically a good sign.

2) Fee Structure and Management Contract

Do they have a reasonable fee structure and management agreement?

It is important to find out what the cost will be to hire them as your property manager. Does the fee structure make sense and do you feel comfortable with the contract you will be signing? Property managers need to make money so don’t be scared off when you see that they charge 10% of one month’s rent. Find out what they offer and see if it warrants the 10% fee.

3) Legal History and Prevention

How do they prevent issues from arising, and how do they handle the issues that have escalated?

When managing rental properties, issues are bound to arise. It is crucial that your property manager is excellent at handling major and minor problems. It is a good sign if a property manager has a record of handling legal issues well. It is inevitable that they will come up, but everyone has a choice in how they handle these tough situations.

4) Property Manager and Home Owner Communication

How does the property manager communicate with you? Are you happy with their communication style/frequency?

Everyone knows that communication is key. And a great property manager will be great at communicating! So figure out what to expect when it comes to communication.

Related: How to Love Thy Tenant

5) Leases and Tenant Screening

How do they find awesome tenants? What do they do with not so awesome tenants?

Tenants are the lifeblood to your investment business, so you want to make sure that your property manager is finding great tenants! Learn their tenant screening process so you know what to expect during the process.

6) Property Marketing

What are they doing to market your property and do they help with making your property stand out among the rest?

Marketing a rental property well is essential. The key is to attract great tenants who will take care of your property well during their tenancy.

7) Property Maintenance and Tenant Relations

How are they treating the tenants in your property?

When tenants enjoy their landlords and property managers they tend to stick around longer. And when a tenant sticks around longer it means less turnover for you! So make sure that your property manager is treating tenants well. This means through how they handle maintenance down to how they communicate with them.

Can a Property Manager Decline to Work with You?

A property manager can decline to work with you. Your property might not be in the right area of town, or maybe the property isn’t up to their standard. Or they could simply decline to work with you because your personalities don’t go together well.

Even though our Ultimate Property Manager Question Guide is full over 100 questions to ask a property manager, I DO NOT recommend asking every single one of the questions on the guide.

There are plenty of other ways to find some of the answers to the questions on the guide.

For example, if they have a website you should be able to find answers there. Or if you are able to review their Management Contract or Rental Lease you can read through them to get further answers.

The idea of the guide is to help you think of everything before you jump into business with someone.

The last thing they want is to manage someone who is trying to be a back-seat driver.

What Does a Property Management Interview Look Like?

When interviewing a prospective property manager, you do not need to sit down and interrogate them.

Get your questions ready. Stay organized and take notes.

I would recommend first starting with their website and reading their reviews online. Remember, every company will have some bad reviews. So look at their overall rating and maybe read a few reviews on both the positive and negative sides.

After checking them out online, give them a call. You should have been able to get a lot of your questions answered by checking out their website. So on the phone, ask some questions that you weren’t able to get clear answers on from their site.

A phone interview might be all you need, however, an in-person meeting would be great too. It would be most beneficial to set up this meeting at the property you need management for. That way the property manager can familiarize themselves with the place as well.

Property Management Is a Difficult Profession

Remember as you are combing through your leads of potential property managers that no one is perfect. Property management is a very difficult profession. When I was working in property management I made my own share of mistakes.

It truly takes a unique person to be able to work in property management and succeed at it. The industry is a very high-stress level one! Have patience with whomever you choose to manage your rental properties. And understand that you will never grasp what your property managers go through in their position!

Show your property manager some grace!

**Get Your FREE Property Manager Question Guide Today**

Over 100 Questions to Ask a Property Manager!

What questions do you find important to ask a property manager before you hire them?

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Over 100 Important Questions to Ask a Property Manager

Questions to Ask A Property Manager

Ask Questions Before You Hire a Property Manager

Characteristics of a Good Property Manager

What to Look for in a Property Manager