It can become overpowering to contemplate all the skills needed to properly use rental housing to build and maintain an estate. You'll need help. The question is, where do you get it? You should be prepared to spend as much time building a management team as you do acquiring properties. Packard Motor Car Company used to have a slogan: 'ASK THE MAN WHO OWNS ONE'. Landlords are a good place to start looking for people who are reliable and qualified to help you. Here's what you'll need for starters: Maintenance people who can do everything that you CAN'T do. Rent-Up people who can place ads, screen those who apply to eliminate poor credit risks and tenants who are unstable, let property deteriorate and who don't keep their promises under the Rental Contract or who are trouble-makers. If possible, try to find people who do related jobs. For example, rent-up people, screeners, collection people and eviction people could be the same people.
It's just as reasonable that those who are involved in moving evicted tenants out would also be the same people who clean up the premises and prepare the property for the next tenant. They might also be the repair people. Wherever possible, I try to create linkages between these jobs. This gives me less problems trying to contact a variety of different people and scheduling them in a certain sequence into and out of a job to make way for the next specialist. For instance, one Tenant Check company I used to also included a guarantee which compensated me for evictions for people they'd approved. They then paid for eviction expenses. At another time, the person who delivered the first late notice also processed all eviction notices, moved the people out, changed the locks. His wife teamed up with him to clean the property while he made needed repairs. One stop shopping.
Many repair jobs are related. My Air Conditioning Specialist repairs (or if needed, replaces) air conditioners in summer, heaters in winter and provides rebuilt units at reasonable cost which he can guarantee. He also uses used parts when he feels they are reliable and delivers the units to the property, picking up the discarded units. We keep him busy. More importantly, the tenants are given his name so they can deal with him direct. He bills them, not us, thereby reducing our repair and replacement expenses. I buy carpets used from condo and apartment rehabs at ridiculous prices including having them installed from a man who also installs tile when he can't find carpeting at wholesale. We've found that people who fix windows also fix doors, paper hangers also paint, termite people also spray for other pests, roofers also replace rotted wood and facia, plumbers sometimes work on pools, sewers and septic systems. Appliance people usually handle all kitchen appliances – stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, disposals.
By dealing with people who can do several things, it makes your job easier for the simple reason that you don't have to call so many people to get several things done. It also builds VOLUME with the vendor who begins to see you as a regular customer. When you need PRIORITY work,that can be a real blessing. Speaking of priorities, one of the specialists you need on your team is that person who MOONLIGHTS at night and on weekends. Firemen are excellent sources of these people who can respond to EMERGENCIES at regular rates rather than having to depend upon those who charge overtime for off-hour work. One of the part-time people you'll need is someone to mow grass and clean up brush, trim trees and remove trash/rubbish from the premises. They'll usually have their own truck. They are fairly expensive, but they help turn a rental around in minimum time. The same holds true for a good, quick, thorough carpet cleaner. And for house cleaners who can make the house attractive in the shortest possible time.
To find these people, check with other Landlords. If you help them, they'll help you. Nothing really beats Landlord cooperation. Everyone appreciates good maintenance people, suppliers, specialists which we share. We tell each other about bad tenants, new laws, etc. Most of the people I use in various repair capacities were brought to my attention by other Landlords. I like to share information on legal/accounting matters too.
