• How long have you been a property manager/management company?
• What types of properties have you managed?
• Have you had experience dealing with *insert the type of property you own*?- If you own a 10 unit building and the manager has only had experience with single families, they may be too inexperienced for your specific needs.
• How many properties are you currently managing?- You don’t want your property to get lost in the shuffle.
• Do you have the time and resources to successfully add my property(ies) to your workload?

Questions About Education:

• Do you have your real estate broker’s or property management license?– Most states require property managers to have a license so they can show apartments.
• Do you have any type of certification?- Trade organizations such as IREM, NAA, NARPM and CAI offer education and training courses and provide certification after completion.

Questions About Knowledge of Landlord-Tenant Law:

• Do you understand the city, state and federal laws for property management and dealing with tenants?
  • Federal fair housing laws?
  • How to properly evict a tenant?
  • The safety codes for my type of property(ies)?- How many smoke detectors are needed? Do they have to be hard wired? Do you need window guards on second floor windows?
  • The proper way to collect and store security deposits?
  • What to include in a pet policy and the list of dangerous dog breeds?
  • How to terminate a lease?

Questions About Filling Vacancies/Retaining Tenants:

• How long does it take you to fill a vacancy?- If it takes them longer than a month, what are you paying them for? Are they available to show apartments seven days a week? At what times? Where do they advertise to find tenants?
• What is the average length of tenancy?- If they get tenants to sign long leases and actually stay for the duration of the lease, this will cut down on costs to fill vacancies — including advertising costs, apartment turnover costs, and lost rent.
• How many tenants have you evicted over the past year?- This can help you determine if they are properly screening tenants. What is their process for screening tenants?
• How do you set the right rent for the property?– How many comparable properties do they look at? How often do they adjust the rent?
• How do you collect rent each month?- Do they allow tenants to use direct deposit? Do they only accept money orders or certified checks? Is there a set day each month? Is there a grace period? Do they enforce late fees