Today’s show is sponsored by LeadSimple and Fourandahalf. Together, they’ve come up with one of the best conferences for property managers, called the PM Grow Summit. This event is laser-focused on growth strategies and brings together some remarkable thought leaders from around the country. I attended last year and was thoroughly impressed all around -- and that was just their first year! The next conference will be in San Diego in 2018, and I’ve already booked my spot. Go to pmgrowsummit.com to learn more, and enter promo code “Brad” to get a $100 discount on your ticket!
We’re also sponsored by Marc Cunningham of Grace Property Management. Marc has created some amazing products for property management companies, which we can say firsthand as we’ve implemented his systems here. Visit their website and try out their products! To get a 10% discount on any of Marc’s products, use the promo code “Brad”!
One question many of us struggle with regularly is that of service animals. For example, can a pit bull qualify as an assistance animal even though it may be considered dangerous? Can a twelve-foot python be an emotional support animal? What about a chicken, or a pig? Is it a reasonable accommodation to allow a blind tenant to keep a horse on the property if that is his or her primary mode of transportation?
Robert Brown, a local San Antonio attorney licensed here in Texas, joins me on the show today to talk about all this and much more. Before we go any further, let me just take a moment for a quick disclaimer: nothing in this episode should be considered legal advice. But it gives you a starting point for your research and decisions, and conversation points to touch on with your own attorney.
If you’ve ever wondered about questions related to reasonable accommodations for disabilities, service or emotional support animals, or how the process of having a claim filed against you works, tune into this episode. Robert is an expert whose services we use, so I can vouch for his ability to provide value-packed, insightful information!
Here’s where you can find Robert:
Office phone: 210-782-9111
Show Notes
[02:51] - Robert introduces himself. He explains what he does and that he specializes in representing landlords.
[04:05] - Brad asks Robert to define what a service animal is, then talks about an incident in which he couldn’t get a straight answer.
[06:28] - Robert explains that people with service animals may ask for either reasonable accommodation or reasonable modification. He clarifies what the difference is.
[08:27] - What scams are Robert seeing from tenants these days, and how can property managers protect themselves from these scams? Robert answers, then talks about how and when to ask for substantiation of a disability.
[13:38] - Robert discusses determining whether a request for modification is or is not “reasonable,” offering a colleague’s case as an example.
[16:25] - Robert’s suggestion is to have a dialogue about accommodations in writing instead of orally if possible.
[18:00] - We hear Robert’s recommendations on how to push back when you suspect someone’s requests might not be reasonable or justified.
[21:01] - Robert responds to an example of Brad’s about someone bringing in a giant snake and claiming it’s their emotional support animal.
[22:28] - Cats are one of the better emotional support animals, Robert explains. Pot-bellied pigs and chickens are other examples of possible emotional support animals.
[26:41] - Robert talks about the steps of having a claim filed against you, and the options for what to do if your tenant files a discrimination lawsuit.
[29:50] - What kind of insurance covers these sorts of issues?
[32:20] - After a short break, we come back to discuss options for what to do when there’s a case against you.
[34:00] - Brad brings up his first-ever fair housing claim, which occurred a few months ago. Robert talks about how he would work through a case and make a response.
[39:50] - Is there a no-brainer documentation situation in which Robert would always approve a service animal?
[42:15] - Brad jokes that one should never rent to attorneys or realtors. He then brings up a recent case of a new attorney applying and suggesting lease changes.
[45:04] - Robert shares a story of his own about applying for a place to live when he was in law school.
[47:03] - Robert talks about the ability to post negative reviews, which he explains isn’t the same as defamation. He then talks about how the law in question applies to landlords, tenants, and property managers.
[49:45] - What is Robert’s advice for what you should do if you get a bad review online? He and Brad discuss options, and point out that it’s vital to manage your online reviews in today’s world.
[56:18] - How can listeners reach Robert?
Links and Resources:
Robert’s office phone: 210-782-9111
The Profitable Property Management Podcast with Jordan Muela
Today’s show is sponsored by LeadSimple and Fourandahalf. Together, they’ve come up with one of the best conferences for property managers, called the PM Grow Summit. This event is laser-focused on growth strategies and brings together some remarkable thought leaders from around the country. I attended last year and was thoroughly impressed all around -- and that was just their first year! The next conference will be in San Diego in 2018, and I’ve already booked my spot. Go to pmgrowsummit.com to learn more, and enter promo code “Brad” to get a $100 discount on your ticket!
We’re are also sponsored by Marc Cunningham of Grace Property Management. Marc has created some amazing products for property management companies, which we can say firsthand as we’ve implemented his systems here. Visit their website and try out their products! To get a 10% discount on any of Marc’s products, use the promo code “Brad”!
Today’s show is also sponsored by Virtually Incredible who provides tenant screening services, call center services, and video production services to property managers. You can visit them at VirtuallyIncredible.com.
With hurricane season in full swing, I have a very timely interview for you. Today, I am talking to Pete Neubig and Steven Rozenberg from Empire Industries out of Houston. This interview is golden with lots of lessons learned on how to handle natural disasters. These lessons can apply to any property management company no matter where you are, and what natural disasters you may face.
Pete and Steve have both been on the show before and are old veterans when it comes to podcasting and talking about property management. They also feel as a company they have come out stronger. Today, they share how they managed 700 homes in the aftermath of Harvey. They share how they needed to act fast and be strategic with solving multiple problems. Then they share how they broke things down and created actionable items for each team member.
They share how they prepared the lines of communication in advance by creating one-way channels that could be used even during the storm and then organized their people into teams and groups to accomplish everything. They also remained helpful to everyone and shared communication through their channels while always remembering to put people first. They share their philosophies and strategic actions along with lessons learned through this catastrophic event.
Here’s where you can find Pete and Steve:
Empire Industries
Steve Rozenberg on LinkedIn
Empire Industries on Twitter
Empire Industries on Facebook
Show Notes
[02:31] Pete and Steve kick things off sharing how Houston is still hurting, but Empire as a company has grown through the experience.
[04:12] Pete shares how they managed to stay on top of things by having a plan and a great team.
[04:57] Empire manages 700 homes in the Houston area. That's 700 families and 700 potential owners.
[05:52] Steve shares how taking action and coming up with a strategic plan helped them to respond and break things down into actionable steps.
[08:35] They let owners and residents know how to get updates through their portal and Facebook to create a one-way line of communication.
[10:20] The first thing they did was make sure everyone on the team was okay, then they took stock of available resources.
[11:03] Everyone at the company was assigned an emergency job. They used conferences calls twice a day to create an action plan. They assigned project managers to attend the calls to cut down on communication time.
[13:29] They used a spreadsheet to keep track of each property. They walked their vacant units to make sure they were rent ready because of the Houston housing shortage.
[16:08] Steve utilized social media for communication. They wanted to let the owners know that their properties were alright. He did a Facebook Live video every day.
[17:30] Steve shared all of the information he found out from FEMA and other agencies and then became a one-stop shop for tenants, landlords, and everyone. They combined forces and became a social media point of contact.
[19:52] They also created a Hurricane Harvey landing page on their website that answers all kinds of emergency and hurricane questions.
[20:54] They also filmed a public service announcement to help people find information and properties.
[21:48] Using a voice over IP phone system. These phones aren't down like a flooded landline would be.
[23:25] What happens when a home gets flooded out. If the house is uninhabitable, the tenant can break the lease.
[24:31] They made a company policy that residents who have lost everything get their security deposit back.
[25:06] How property management is a people business at the end of the day.
[26:11] Helping tenants by getting repairs done right away.
[26:38] Using Facebook groups for communication with owners and tenants.
[27:30] Creating expectations to eliminate too many phone calls.
[28:29] It's important to create the job roles in advance before emergencies happen. Also, have a list of emergency vendors and contractors.
[29:31] Treat people well, value relationships, and be calm, structured and organized.
[30:17] Trusting your current vendors instead of onboarding new people who come into town for the disaster.
[30:57] They have had about 350 homes that have reported issues.
[32:32] They had a vendor who waded through water to light a pilot light and didn't charge for it. They also found a new house for a family that lost everything and they donated things to help the family.
[35:12] The best thing a property manager can do for the community is doing their job.
[36:28] How Pete ended up adopting a dog with a broken leg.
[37:54] They waived late fees this month and think their new leases will make up for lost rent from people who have damaged homes. They have estimated to collect about 90% of rent this month.
[40:33] Pete shares a story about a homeowner and a tenant who lost everything. The owner didn't have a lot of compassion and is no longer a client.
[42:48] Problems that happen when owners bypass the property managers, and how it's better to worry about people, not property.
Links and Resources:
Jean Storms Property Management Manual
Google Hangouts
Uber Conference
Facebook Live
Google Calendar
Citizen Home Solutions
NARPM
Today’s show is sponsored by LeadSimple and Fourandahalf. Together, they’ve come up with one of the best conferences for property managers, called the PM Grow Summit. This event is laser-focused on growth strategies and brings together some remarkable thought leaders from around the country. I attended last year and was thoroughly impressed all around -- and that was just their first year! The next conference will be in San Diego in 2018, and I’ve already booked my spot. Go to pmgrowsummit.com to learn more, and enter promo code “Brad” to get a $100 discount on your ticket!
We’re also sponsored by Marc Cunningham of Grace Property Management. Marc has created some amazing products for property management companies, which we can say firsthand as we’ve implemented his systems here. Visit their website and try out their products! To get a 10% discount on any of Marc’s products, use the promo code “Brad”!
I know a lot of you have been curious about automating lock boxes and the tenant viewing process, so I’ve brought on some experts to talk about the subjects! Joining me today are James Barrett and Calvin Davis from Tenant Turner, a company I use myself and have been very satisfied with. James is the Head of Business Development at Tenant Turner, while Calvin is the Sales Director.
In our conversation today, James and Calvin will explain in detail what Tenant Turner does, how it can function in your business by providing solutions for some of the unaccompanied showing techniques you may want to use, and how they can save (and make) you money. If you’re convinced after listening to them, sign up for their services using the promo code “Brad” to get a goodie package!
James and Calvin will also talk in depth about providing self-access for prospective tenants, automating some scheduling activities, the nitty gritty of using automated lock boxes for viewings, and much more. This is a value-packed episode that will answer lots of questions and provide insight into the future of tenant showings, so listen in!
Here’s where you can find James and Calvin:
Show Notes
[02:24] - James and Calvin start the episode off by introducing themselves.
[03:16] - We hear the short version of what Tenant Turner can do for someone, and how it can save time.
[03:54] - Brad steps in to share his experiences, trials, and tribulations with various vendors he has worked with. He then mentions how he ended up with Tenant Turner.
[06:54] - We learn more about how the Tenant Turner process can work in any market, and that one of the company’s advantages is that it has in-house developers.
[08:47] - Brad shares the story of how Tenant Turner worked with him to meet his needs regarding pets.
[10:10] - Every market is a little bit different, but there are themes. Some markets that you might expect to be very different are in fact similar.
[11:12] - One of the huge benefits of Tenant Turner is repurposing the people you’ve hired, and automating more tasks to let employees accomplish more.
[12:36] - Brad spends some time digging into why these sorts of processes can save time and money for property managers.
[14:54] - What are some best practices tied into the things that Brad, James, and Calvin have been talking about? As part of the answer, we hear about the leasing line being an integrated component.
[16:26] - There are two critical things that help Tenant Turner and VirtuallyinCredible work together so well.
[17:15] - We learn about Tenant Turner’s impressive hours, which are a great selling point.
[19:19] - James and Calvin have been happy with the advanced marketing platform from FreeRentalSite.
[20:25] - We hear about the various ways available to let people into a property.
[21:22] - Brad brings up the process involved in a potential tenant viewing a home, and brings up the question of whether to get ID before allowing tenants to self-access the property.
[23:33] - Brad offers James and Calvin some feedback from his biggest investor, who mentioned that he would like to see a credit card being charged but refunded to the applicant after they leave feedback.
[25:38] - We move onto the next portion of the lifecycle of the leasing process, with the topic of lock-box best practices.
[26:23] - Tenant Turner needs to be used as an electronic handshake for a prospective applicant to meet an agent.
[28:49] - As a leasing agent, Brad would recommend getting in touch by text, email or phone before driving across town to meet a potential tenant.
[30:13] - We return to the topic of lock boxes, and hear James and Calvin’s thoughts on Codebox.
[31:52] - Calvin talks about how Tenant Turner and Codebox have worked to build solutions together.
[33:01] - Are there any other similar lock box solutions out there?
[34:12] - We move onto wireless and Bluetooth options. Brad thinks that this will become increasingly prevalent. He, James, and Calvin then talk about their predictions for when this will become the norm.
[36:53] - Do James and Calvin see this changing technology as more of a disruptor or an aide within the industry?
[39:57] - Calvin suggests that the best way to get in touch is to go to tenantturner.com. For the promo version, go to www.tenantturner.com/brad!
[40:47] - James talks about the benefits of ordering code boxes directly from Tenant Turner.
Links and Resources: