67 Questions To Consider When Interviewing
Your Next Property Agent
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A very important part of being a landlord is the property management side. For some, the
decision is to self-manage and for many others they wish to hire a professional property
manager. Property managers can be a huge and amazing asset when carefully chosen.
The thing to remember when finding a property manager is not everyone is created equally.
That is something I found out the hard way and the ultimate reason that I decided to self-
manage.
A great property manager is your advocate, your eyes, and ultimately YOU in a difficult
situation. You want someone you can trust not only with your asset or liability, but also
with your money.
The key with hiring a property manager is to find someone who is will do the work for you so
you don’t have to do it. If you are doing the work you might as well self-manage.
The key is to know what you are looking for. If you go in with the wrong expectations, you
can fail before you have even begun.
I made a list of 67 questions that I would ask as a landlord before hiring hiring my next
property manager. Obviously, asking all 67 questions would be a lot and could be a little
nerving even to a professional, so first get a draft copy of the lease, management
documents and anything else that is provided to the landlord or tenants.
This way you can go into meeting and speaking with your agent educated on the written
material already provided. Some of these questions can also be answered through small chat
too!
Author’s Note: Many of these questions can be solved by examining the lease/property
management contract first. Personally, I would want a copy of the property management
contract before my first interview so I could put together all my questions from that BEFORE
I talk to the property management. This way, you are not asking questions that are answered
in the contract AND you can follow up directly from the contract. Remember: it doesn’t
matter what an agent says, it comes down to what is in writing, i.e. your contract.
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67 Questions to Ask a Potential Property Manager
1. Will I have one specific property manager? Who will be my property manager?
You want to know who will be your specific property manager and know their name. I am all
about accountability and you want to know and speak with your property manager not just
the marketing director or whoever oversees new business.
2. Who is the head of the office?
You want to know the real boss in case something goes wrong. Larger agencies have multiple
bosses - who actually ultimately runs the show?
3. How long have you been a property manager?
The length of time is important to know. That being said, a hungry newbie who wants to
learn in my experience is often times better than the most advanced person because they care.
4. How many units do you manage?
For me this is a more food for thought than actually caring as large versus small have
different pros and cons. There are benefits to a large office and also to a small office, the key
is to know which one you are getting into and to make sure you are comfortable with the pros
and cons.
5. What is the average length that clients stay with you?
You want a property manager who is in it for the long haul. While this might not be a truthful
answer or able to be substantiated it is good food for thought.
6. Do you just manage or do you sell too?
Most places do both. That being said it is good to know to assess people’s motivations and
goals. You want a company that still prioritizes property management even if it doesn’t make
as much income as selling.
7. What do you offer that sets you apart from other companies?
You want them to sell themselves, to tell you what is different from other companies.
Remember this is an interview for both parties. While I have never hired a property manager,
I have personally noticed in life things don’t get better only worse once you sign the dotted
line.
8. What do you expect from me as the owner?
What is their expectation about your involvement? Some people want to be very
micromanaged and others do not. It is important to know the exact expectations that the
property manager will have of you.
9. How often do you communicate with the home owners?
This is very important, since communication is key. It is really important to know over what
issues, the methods, and how quickly you will be notified.
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10. Do you provide the owner’s information to the tenant?
Some people hire property managers so they do not have to give their information to tenants.
So this is important.
11. Do you have a policy about landlords contacting the tenants?
Some management companies will not allow the landlords to contact the tenants in the house.
12. Do you have a requirement for your property management clients to use you? Do
you charge if the tenant decides to buy the house?
Many property contracts require the landlord to pay fees if the tenant decides to buy or they
sell. Make sure you check this clause closely.
13. How often do you contact the owners? Can you give me examples of how and when
you would communicate various problems?
Communication is a very big concern and complaint. The last thing you want is to be learning
everything on your monthly statement. The best way to have clear expectations is to
understand when your agent will notify you and when they will not.
14. What is your turn around time on phone calls and emails from owners?
Some of the biggest complaints I see is people not hearing or receiving return phone calls
quickly enough. This is why you want to know what to expect and how long it takes to hear
back from your property manager.
15. What is your Monthly Charge?
Every management company calculates their fees differently. Some charge 14% and that
includes everything. Others do 7% and charge extras everywhere so make sure you are
looking at everything.
16. Do you provide a copy of the lease to the owner and when?
One of the biggest issues I see is the owners not receiving a copy of the lease, so they are not
able to verify when questions and issues arise with their property manager.
17. How long of lease do you do?
Some property managers only do a six month lease, others do a one year, some do two year
leases. Personally, I do an initial 12 month lease (with six month break clause) which then
rolls forward on a monthly basis.
18. Do you have lease language that requires the tenant to pay for any damage they
cause that is not wear and tear?
I am a huge believer if you break it you buy it. So, I charge tenants in my own properties for
anything they break. I would ask my management company if they do the same thing.
19. Do you trouble shoot with your tenants when they call for repairs?
One of the things I have done to help reduce service calls is to troubleshoot with my tenants. I
ask them if they tried the breaker, put a new light bulb in the socket, etc. So I would want to
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know if the property management will try to trouble shoot, or if it ends up being something
silly if the tenants are required to pay the service call.
20. Do they do as/is Appliances?
I put any appliances I don’t want to replace as “as is” in the lease.
21. How much notice do you require at the end?
I require my tenants to provide 60 days-notice but other companies and areas have different
rules.
22. Is the lease automatically renewable?
I personally don’t like automatically renewable leases as if you forget you could be in
trouble. That being said I know some places do it. So, make sure you follow up on this to see
if your property management company offers this service.
23. Do you charge for renewals?
Some companies charge a renewal fee to the owners if the tenant stays.
24. Do you do a market evaluation every renewal?
I am a huge believer in raising the rent every time a renewal comes up. So I would want a
market evaluation and recommendation to raise rates if needed.
25. How do you determine to raise the rent or keep it the same?
Will you raise rates on good tenants? Is there a reason you wouldn’t raise the rent even if the
market called for it? This is important since some people do not believe in raising the rates.
26. What does the monthly fee include?
Make sure you know exactly what you are paying for. Some places are more full service than
others. Every agency has different standards and goals. I know some agency who do
professional photos and others charge for it. So get them to go through what it includes.
27. Do you have any additional charges or fees (pet, placement, maintenance, etc.), IE
what does my monthly charge not cover?
You want to look at a contract closely and ask specifically. Some places the monthly price is
higher and that’s it. Other places the price is lower, but they penny pinch you on ALL the
fees.
28. Who keeps the fees that the tenants pay?
You want to know who keeps the late fees, pet fees, etc. This can cause a LOT of issues so
review the answer to this question closely. If your tenant pays you late and the management
company retains the fees and you were expecting to be compensated this can cause a lot of
financial frustration.
29. How is the money dispersed?
Many property management firms only send checks. So this is a very important question.
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30. When is the money dispersed?
Most people mortgages are due the 1st of the month. So, this is a very important thing to
know, so you make sure you receive your rent in time to pay your mortgage.
31. What is your advertising strategy?
(Places advertised, professional photos, etc.)? Every company has a different marketing plan.
Some companies take professional photos and others do not.
32. What rental price do you recommend?
You want to know what they think it will rent for and why. Some places will overprice the
rent (higher monthly fee since it’s a percentage), others will under-price the rental (quicker to
rent). The best way is to make sure it is priced right.
33. Do you recommend any work to be done to get top rent?
You want to know if they have any recommendations to get the best rental price from the
unit.
34. How long do you think it will take to rent out?
You want to know how long it will take to rent out. Voids = lost revenue. Often it’s better to
go cheaper than have a void.
35. How quickly do you schedule showing/return calls?
One of the things I found is important is to get people into the home as quickly as possible.
For property managers that are not quick, this can be as much the issue as the price.
36. How quickly does it take you to approve and have a lease signed?
I have found that this is also very important because I have had many people find other units
when I have not been quick enough to get them approved and qualified.
37. What is your schedule for payments when installing a tenant?
I personally do not accept a signed lease until I have all of the deposits. Then first month’s
rent is due with keys. It is important to know the process so there are no surprises.
38. Do you have a termination clause if it is not rented after so many months? Am I tied
into a long contract with you?
A lot of questions I see is how to terminate an agreement after a house sits empty. So this is
an important question to ask.
39. Do you have a trial period?
It is important to know if you are unhappy with the company if there is any way to get out
early. If yes, what are the rules to retain the company if I am happy?
40. Do I pay any fees when the place is empty?
It is important to know if a company is going to charge you while your unit is empty. Some
areas charge seasonal fees (opening/closing pools, winterizing homes) even if the home is not
occupied.
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41. What is your termination policy?
While you might have no desire to self-manage or have a different company in mind you
know things change. So you want to make sure you are covered and have a very clear out.
42. What is your late policy?
The key to keeping tenants on time with the rent is to have consequences. Therefore, it is
very important to enforce the late policy. You want to know their exact process.
43. If fees are not collected from the tenant will you still charge the owner for them?
I have seen a few comments where owners were upset that they were charged for fees (late,
etc.) because the tenants didn’t pay it. This is crazy I know but it has happened.
44. How many eviction have you had last month?
I would want to know how many evictions as its great food for thought.
45. How do you handle eviction process?
You want to know when the company will start the eviction process. Do they do it in house
or hire someone? What is there procedure and how they proceed.
46. Is the eviction part of the cost or is it an additional cost? This can hurt when you are
evicting for non-payment of rent and therefore not receiving income, so you need to plan for
this accordingly when you find out from your agent.
47. What is your application and screening process?
I run a credit and background check complete with landlord approval of “go ahead” once the
landlord has seen and heard all the relevant facts collated on their tenants.
48. What is your screening requirements?
Do they accept tenants with weak referencing criteria? Remember you are picking someone
that you can trust and be hands off. This is why it is very important that you agree in advance
your red line requirements of who they are picking.
49. Do you run it by me before you approve them?
Some companies just place the tenant and others get final approval.
50. What form do you use for the move in/move out inspection?
Personally, I would want to see the forms as this is a very important part. This is what you
will use to prove the tenant did damage.
51. Do you take video or pictures? What is your criteria for what you put down on the
forms?
The more detailed you are the easier it will be if you go to court, so this is very important.
52. How often do you do inspections during a tenant’s term?
Many property management companies do yearly or quarterly inspections.
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53. How do you document the inspection and do you send it to the landlords?
If they are supposed to do inspections you want to make sure you receive a copy. You also
want to make sure the inspections are documented.
54. How do they handle the security deposit (i.e. do they hold it or do you, the landlord)?
You want to know where the security deposit will go and who holds on to it.
55. How do you charge for tenant’s damage during their lease term?
You do not want everything to wait until the security deposit is at the end of the term. You
want it to be taken out as the damage is done because the security deposit is their skin in the
game to not have an issue.
56. If there are damages upon move out who does the accounting (you or the owner)?
If the tenant does a ton of damage you want a property manager who is going to pursue the
tenant for you. First, by taking it out of the deposit and then by sending them a bill for the
rest.
57. If the tenant has damages that exceed the security deposit do you come up with the
documents and pursue the tenant?
This is important because every company is different. So it is important to know who is
responsible for what.
58. When do you return the security deposit? Do you get approval from the landlord
first? There has been a lot of issues with property managers returning the money too soon
and missing deductions for tenant damage. Personally I use almost the entire time provided
by law so I can make sure there is nothing missing before I return the deposit. I do not return
the deposit at the move out or even the first week.
59. Do you do a pre-inspection prior to the tenant move out?
Will the agent liaise with the tenant prior to them moving out to ensure the property is
returned in the best possible condition? What is the procedure when a tenant serves notice to
quit?
60. What is your maintenance minimum/policy?
A lot of companies have a number, say €250, where any repair under that they will approve.
It is important to take note of exceptions to this, as these can eat your profit.
61. Do you charge for an additional fee for maintenance repairs?
Some companies charge 10% or more on the repair cost. So this is very important to know.
62. Do you get multiple bids? If so at what amount?
I personally like multiple bids.
63. Is your maintenance in-house or a vendor?
This is good to know and more for food for thought.
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64. How do you handle off hour emergencies?
You want to know if they receive the calls or if it goes to an answering service.
65. What do you consider emergencies?
What is their definition of an emergency? (heater out, etc.)
66. Do you ask permission or just fix and bill?
This is very important as some emergency repairs can cost a small fortune. Therefore, it is so
important to know what their policy is.
67. Do you show the house while the current tenant is in the home?
One of my ways to keep costs down is to show the house while the tenant is still in the unit.
While this list seems very long and complex, it is as much food for thought as a list of
questions to ask your property manager.
Many of these things will be answered in the lease and property management
document/contract. This is not supposed to be a complete list but more of a way to give you a
starting point to begin your interview to determine the BEST AGENT FOR YOU!
Good Luck
Declan Kerr.
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