Does your property manager do “self-showings”?
When your property is listed for rent, how do you want access to your property granted to potential tenants?
The onset of Covid-19 brought about the need to reduce contact with other people. The real estate industry responded with some efficiencies that included pre-screening, online video tours, and private video tours. There have been some efficiencies gained that seem to be working well. This has reduced the total number of people visiting properties.
What about self-showings? A self-showing is when a key is made available through a lockbox at the house or other means. When a potential tenant wants to visit the house, they provide some information to the property manager, and then access the key to let themselves into the property to take a look. This process has been quite effective for property managers to not have to have an actual body at the property. It is becoming more and more common.
What are the risks of self-showings though? Well, how do you feel about a complete stranger going through your property and having the responsibility for locking it up on the way out? Most people are probably competent and trustworthy, right? Sure, most people. From a competency perspective, what could go wrong? Perhaps they track mud through your property, leave the lights on, break something, not close the freezer, or not lock ALL the doors on their way out. Sometimes people do things that make us ask, “Really???” On a more concerning level, what about the untrustworthy people? When will it be recognized if something is missing from the property? What if they think it would be funny to do something to the property not to be discovered until weeks down the road? What if they just move-in and start living there? Do you want to be the one to have this lesson from The School of Hard Knocks? Will your property manager be responsible? Maybe. Maybe not. There is likely to be some type of language in your management agreement to give them a lot of wiggle room.
Demand better. “Property Manager” means manage the property. Does that really need to be said?
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