Property Management – Calabasas

Calabasas Property Management

Woodland Hills Property Management

West Hills Property Management

Sherman Oaks Property Management

Northridge Property Management

Is the property manager a licensed real estate agent?

Property managers in California must be licensed real estate brokers if they manage property they do not own. The Texas Real Estate Commission may audit the trust accounts and files of licensed brokers. If your property manager is not an active licensee, the manager is operating illegally and you could be in danger.

Is property management the manager’s sole livelihood, or just a sideline?

Some real estate agents offer property management as a complement to their primary business, selling homes. It is possible that such agents offer state-of-­the-­art service, but frankly we have found it impossible to be top­ notch managers and top­ notch sales agents at the same time. It takes every bit of our focus to keep abreast of the latest developments in landlord­/tenant law, electronic banking , internet marketing, and changes in the building codes. At Carnahan Property Management, property management is our primary business.

How long have they been doing Property Management and how many properties do they manage?

We at Carnahan  Property Management have been providing professional personalized property management services since 1988. We currently manage 112 single family properties, 10 duplexes, 5 fourplexes, 12 retail and 12 industrial properties and we are adding new properties daily. For over 25 years we have a full service property management solution and would love to add you to our current client list.

What are the benefits of hiring a property manager?

• Many clients utilize our services because they simply don’t have the time, energy or desire to manage their own investment property or deal with the day-to-day tenant issues.
• Some clients are investors and are located many miles away from their investment property and desire our ‘local representation’ so that we can respond and act on behalf of the property owner.
• Some investor clients elect to utilize a professional property management company like us simply because this avoids involving a relative, friend or associate, who may be willing and able, but could ‘strain’ their friendship.
• Many clients elect to retain us simply to avoid the necessity of their personal involvement with tenants, handling tenant disputes, dealing with rent collections, handling rent increases, lease renewals, screening for replacement tenants, responding to ’emergency’ issues 24/7 which involve arranging ongoing and emergency property maintenance, and the headaches of dealing with multiple contractors.
• Our clients enjoy the personal ‘cost savings’ to them in terms of their time, effort, and energy, which is needed to manage a rental property on an ongoing basis.

Our Monthly Management Service

If you would prefer not to get a phone call at 3:00 am about a leaking water heater or an a/c that has gone out, this program is designed for you. Carnahan Property Management will handle all aspects of caring for your property 7 days a week and 24 hours a day.  Listed below are a few of the many services included:

• Rent collection
• Supervise maintenance
• Payment of all bills and mortgages
• Monthly computerized statements
• Creative advertising / marketing vacancies
• Thorough verifications / credit screening
• Retain legal services (at Owner’s cost)
• Advise of competitive rental / lease rates
• 7 days a week and 24 hours a day emergency availability

Leasing Service / One-Time Rental Service

If you prefer to handle the day-to-day management of your property yourself but you do not have the time or availability to market and show vacancies on a moment’s notice, nor the expertise in choosing a new tenant, this is the right program for you.  Carnahan Property Management will handle any or all of the following:

• View / show vacant unit(s)
• Execute rental / lease agreement
• Recommend required maintenance
• Collect first month’s rent and security deposit up-front
• Creative advertising / marketing vacancies
• Conduct move-in inspection of the property
• Thorough verification / credit screening
• Turn over original document and funds to you

We then turn the day-to-day management back over to you.

BELOW ARE A FEW OF THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WE RECEIVE FROM OUR FUTURE CLIENTS:

What type of rental properties do you manage?
We are residential & commercial property managers.  Our properties include:  single-family homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes and other multi-family properties. In addition, we do manage retail and industrial properties as well.

Do you use a well-written lease agreement that protects me and my property?
We use the California Association of Realtors Property Management Agreement, as approved by the California Real Estate Commission.

How strictly do you enforce the lease agreement after the tenant moves in?
We enforce the lease agreement very strictly, including:  late fees, pet policy, unauthorized occupants, vehicle limits, HOA rules, lease term, and all additional terms and conditions of the lease agreement.  If we become aware of a lease violation, the tenant promptly receives a violation notice and is required to cure the violation to avoid further action.

How are rental collections handled?
While it is doubtful that an eviction will ever be necessary, as we at Carnahan Property Management carefully screen all prospective tenants, occasionally financial hardships do arise requiring our prompt collections attention.

All rents are due by the tenant to Carnahan Property Management on the 1st of each month and late on the 3rd of each month.  All residents who have not paid by the 4th of each month receive our first notice, a friendly reminder, placing them on notice.  We also attempt to reach them by phone.

If rent is not received immediately (within 5 days) after the late notice is mailed, we will send to them (via certified mail) the Notice to Vacate for Non-Payment of Rent.

If the rent is not received by the date in the Notice to Vacate, Carnahan Property Management will file for eviction if necessary; while continuing to attempt to collect all monies due.

Our late charge policy is strictly enforced.

When late fees are collected, who keeps those fees – me or you?
50% of the late fees go back to you!

How often do you visit the property and / or make contact with the tenant?

• When your property is vacant, we will inspect it once a month.  The purpose of this visit is to be on the lookout for any potential vandalism, illegal entry or other damage to your home.
• The next inspection is conducted prior to the resident’s moving in.  This is known as  the ‘move-in’ inspection, where we detail the condition of your property on our move-in inspection form.
• We inspect the exterior of your home on a periodic basis and we also conduct other inspections when requested, or if we determine that checking the property out is warranted.  You can sometimes (but not always) tell the interior condition of a property by its exterior condition.  If the exterior is well-maintained by the tenants, it is a good bet that the interior is also being well-cared for.
• Within 90 days after the residents move in, we contact the residents to ensure that all is well with your property and your residents.
• We conduct interior inspections typically once a year or when warranted.  We carry this inspection out usually when the tenant is present.  We conduct this walk-through to be on the lookout for any potential violations.
• Between the 9th and 10th month of the resident’s lease, we discuss with the residents their intent to renew their lease for another year.  If they are not renewing, then we advise our leasing staff to ensure that we are able to get the home re-rented quickly with little or no vacancy.
• When the residents move out of your property, we conduct another detailed inspection known as the ‘move-out’ inspection.  The move-out inspection is done to ensure that the residents returned the rental home back to us in the same condition as when they first rented it.  If damage is found, then we impose a claim on the tenant’s security deposit.  If no damage is found, then we promptly return the security deposit to the former residents.

How do you handle repair requests made by the tenant?
Our tenants have the option of e-mailing, faxing or calling in a non-emergency maintenance request.  Our vendors are required to contact the tenant within a 48-hour window.  The vendor will inspect the problem and provide a quote while on-site.  If the cost is more than your specified limit, we will verify your approval before beginning any work.  If the tenant has an emergency maintenance issue, they are instructed to call our 24-hour phone number.  These issues typically require immediate approval.  You may not be notified until the following business day.  We strive to respond to and complete most ordinary repair requests within 3 business days or less, and all emergency requests within 24 hours.