First Walk Through (Owner Move-Out)
If an owner elects to complete the work themselves, they must sign an agreement to complete the work in the same four business days allowed for a The Company Vendor according to our market standards. (No exceptions.) This form is called an RA agreement or “Rehab Maintenance Agreement”. This practice keeps owners accountable and on schedule. The Company does not recommend that owners complete their own work unless they have proven they can comply with our schedules and workmanship. It is a good practice to stay in regular contact with owners to be sure they are on track with all repairs and are on schedule for your completion dates.
*Always call the day before on an owner move out or when owners are doing their own work.*
Codes for computer changes in Internal Leasing Report (RML) in M1 are:
OCC = (occupied) move in will be 17+ days out
FWT = (first walk through) move in will be 15 days out
WF = (waiting for funds) move in will be 12 days out
WBDO = (work being done by owner) move in will be 12 days out
WBD = (work being done) move in will be 8 days out
Ready = (not rented but completed) ready for move in
Problem Resolution
When an owner does not meet their deadlines you have to tell them why. First when they say something like “Well, it’s my property”, your response is, “You’re absolutely right”. “However, when you signed the management agreement you kept the deed rights but you gave us the leasing rights and the authority to manage your property. You also agreed in the management agreement to meet your deadlines. This is a partnership as The Company has to meet its deadlines as well. When you sign the contract, then in good faith we can tell the resident certain things based on what you agreed to and when you don’t up your end of the required obligations, The Company is the one who suffers, as the new resident now believes we lied to them. We can’t survive with this type of image and therefore if you don’t perform, we will be forced to move your resident.”
“In the event we move the resident, you will incur a large host of fees. You will have to pay us the leasing fee again to re-rent your property. You have to pay us a daily management fee as if the resident were in your property. You will have to pay any additional advertising amounts to find a new resident, as well as lawn, water and sewer services that the resident would be paying. Lastly, you will have to make your mortgage payment until it re-rents which could be XXX months in this market. So you could be looking at a $2000 to $5,000 loss, so this needs to be taken seriously.”
By monitoring and updating your completion dates on a daily basis, you will see how critical it is to stay on track in order for the resident to move in on time.