r/PropertyManagement

need help

Location: Charlotte, NC

Looking to connect with a hungry and highly motivated property manager in the Charlotte area. I’ve met with a couple individuals and companies and most are just complacent which is not what I am looking for. Wanting someone highly driven and that can source additional deals as an agent and can manage after acquisition. I hope this post fits here, if not, please point me in the right direction.

I'm managing a portfolio and the phone situation is unsustainable. Calls come to my personal cell, maintenance emergencies, noise complaints, lease questions, everything, at all hours. I want to be reachable for genuine emergencies but I also want a weekend occasionally. The ideal would be something where non-urgent calls get handled or routed to an after hours message and only actual emergencies get through. But I can't figure out how to make that distinction automatically without either missing real emergencies or still getting woken up by non urgent stuff. How do other property managers handle this?

Who is everyone using for Maintenance Call Centers and what has your experience been? I oversee about 40 single family homes, and I’m looking for a 24/7 call center that fields calls and triages maintenance issues, and in cases for after hour emergencies contacts the appropriate property contact or submits a work order to an approved vendor. A non-negotiable for me is that when a tenant calls, it is a human, not AI. Also open on whom to stay away from.

Can property management companies check/screen if you have your EPA before even calling to give an interview? Like If I said on my Resume that im EPA certified, is there a way for them to look with just my last name on my resume?

Asking because ive been looking for a new maintenance job, i have literally not been getting any callbacks at all (most likely because Im not EPA certified and its getting warm out.) So I put on my resume that I was certified and so ive just been rawdogging the EPA courses over the last week. I got done with my type 1 in just 3 days and now im halfway done with my type 2. I just dont want to screw myself over if they find out that im lying before even calling for an interview.

Hello there!

I recently started a job as an APM for commercial real estate (like literally 3 weeks ago), but it seems like it unfortunately turned a turn for the crazy, and I'm unsure how to address it in my CV for when I apply for new jobs. I basically just started, and I was getting along there pretty well, but now it is the way it is. Or at least how it is later described. I'll try to put it out in a bunch of points, so as to not blow anybody's minds with excessive details or info flooding. FYI, it's a job I found through a temp agency (which becomes relevant later)

- I start at a new company, and I am told I would be replacing the current APM they want to get rid of. I go there, and I am told that the APM would be going on vacation for the next 2 weeks after the first day. I've done this sort of stuff before, so I take whatever I can from the current APM, and I get along fine without supervision, or even a PM (the PM position there is absent, and it's just an asset manager standing in for the PM). I ask questions to the asset manager when he can fit the time in, but other than that, I could manage tenant disputes, lease administration, accounts payable/receivable, bids/quotes, all the typical APM stuff on my own while also finding free time to streamline some of the leasing agent's workflow.

- The other APM gets back from vacation, and I pride myself (not too much!) on not having to call her during her vacation once during her absence, and things were left in a good state workwise. However, the leasing agent I get along well with was telling me that she was talking with the other APM, and she reacted in a really threatened way when she told her that I was able to resolve by myself a late payment dispute due to misplaced charges in AR in Yardi (and APM/AM inaction). There were also some scheduled backflow tests which I was not warned about and were supposed to take place the following day, but I managed to get those arranged for, and the test passed perfectly without any issue. Things seem to be going normal, but the APM was definitely sussing out that I was coming there to replace her. The APM told the asset manager that I fumbled those tests, but I just told both of them that the dates they were referring to were actually for a day before, and the properties in question passed the review, so the certificates were to come shortly (which they did within the hour, so that discussion ended right there).

- On Thursday, the Asset Manager sits me down and tells me that the leasing agent was being dropped (and replaced with a 21-year old fresh out of university with no PM experience), and I wouldn't need to show up to work for the next week, before showing up again while the current APM goes onto vacation again, after which "they would see" what would happen. So.. massive red flag right there. I was informed by the recruiter before that this assignment was supposed to be around 6 months or so at least. I let the recruiter know about this discussion I had with the asset manager and then we arrange for a call tomorrow.

- During the call on the following day, the recruiter told me that she tried to reach out to the HR director at this company to clarify the situation, and she hadn't gotten back to her despite usually responding quickly or other inquiries. The recruiter also said that she had no idea that I was even subbing in the APM during vacation absence, and then what she told me was to just tell her everything I am doing in this job right now so she could update my resume and forward my application to new jobs on the same day. So this seems like a bait-and-switch situation where I was supposed to replace the current APM, but instead am just doing vacation stand-in. It's crazy, but I've been around enough to not let it get to me, cause I've had crazier than this. Um, many times! But needless to say, it's obvious that this is not a serious job in any way, but I'll show up for the following 2 weeks so I can get my money like a good little slut, while knowing not to believe a word anyone there says (the recruiter is fine though, so I'll keep on working with her).

Anyways, onto the point... I moved back to the US 4 months ago, and after being unemployed for 3 months, this was supposed to (in my eyes at least) be my first big US job where I would continue where I left off after living abroad for many years. It seemed to be this way at first, but now this is not so, so I will have to find this elsewhere. Property Management works differently in the US than in other countries, so I am leaning towards putting this position on my resume, but only mentioning that it was a vacation stand-in from the get go. On the other hand though, the 6 weeks this job is looking like this job will end up lasting is another potential red flag on my CV if I will be putting myself back out onto the job market.

Would anyone who is a property manager or a hiring manager have any opinions or thoughts on this? It's difficult to sell this situation, but I still want to show that I have US-specific experience on my resume (International experience without US experience puts you in a disadvantage when comparing to people with US experience, believe me). I was fine with this job, but now there are more red flags there than in the Soviet Union, so obviously I am gonna have to start looking yesterday.

Thanks!

I've combed this forum thoroughly and seen MRI and Yardi as two of the top suggestions. I'm looking to migrate from Quickbooks to something more property management-specific. Ideally something with a "lease engine" that will automatically increase rent and assess late fees according to lease terms.

I need something that (like Quickbooks) tenants can use to pay with different formats (ACH, eCheck, debit, credit) WITHOUT having to log into an app or online tenant portal.

Does anyone else with a small portfolio have a satisfactory software solution? Already annoyed that neither MRI nor Yardi publishes their prices... Also very annoying that you have to go through a demo with a sales rep just to see the software in action at all.

Please let me know your experiences and huge THANK YOU in advance!

Trying to understand how other PMs handle this. When a vendor is coming to a unit, do you proactively let the tenant know? How? Is that something your software handles or do you do it manually? Just trying to figure out if there's a better way to do it.

I’m a leasing rep at a property with about 180 units. We use a system called Package concierge which is essentially the equivalent of an amazon locker. All the package carriers need to do is type in the name or apartment number listed on the package, choose the right locker size, and put it in there. *extremely simple, but not simple enough evidently* I am absolutely over the laziness, stupidity, and downright rudeness of these drivers. They cause me more frustration than any of my residents do frankly. They’ll put packages in the same locker for multiple residents, put a package in a locker that is clearly far too small for it and then we have to literally gymnastics to try and remove it, or drop all the packages on the floor in a pile forcing us to have to put them away. We have a sign on the wall next to the locker stating that if the locker fills up, packages should be dropped in front of residents’ doors. When I tell them that, they’ll often cop an attitude with me and be visibly pissed that i’m asking them to do their job. My manager and I both have had to confront drivers as they try to run away and leave all the packages for us to put away. What really bothers me is that the leasing office is quite literally right next to the locker so there is nothing stopping them from popping their head in and asking if they have questions. They just choose not to because they’d rather just dump them on the floor and make someone else do their job. They cause so much excess work, stress and frustration on both my office staff as well as our residents. I’m at my complete wits end and am beyond frustrated with them. I really try to be patient and I know a lot of them are good and diligent with what they do but the ones I regularly deal with make my job 100 times harder and I’m completely over it. They want to do as little work as possible and leave it all for everyone else to do. Can I contact Amazon? Is there anything else I can do to ensure they actually do their jobs? Has anyone else dealt with this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! I’m currently looking for a remote opportunity in property management/accounting and can start immediately.

I have experience using CINC System, Rentvine, and QuickBooks, and can assist with:

• Setting up property owners and lease agreements

• Escrow reconciliation and resolving mismatches

• Daily reconciliation (trust & security deposit accounts)

• Monthly owner payouts and financial reporting

• Vendor setup and invoice management

• Rent collection and transaction tracking

• Owner statements and management fees

• Email management (tenant & vendor communication)

• General admin and bookkeeping tasks

I’m detail-oriented, reliable, and open to full-time, part-time, or contract work at a competitive rate.

Hey all. I run a contracting business in NYC focused on roofing and facade work (repairs, maintenance, compliance, etc.).

I’m trying to figure out the best way to connect with property managers and build solid working relationships. For those of you in the space:

• What’s the most effective way to reach property managers?

• Email, cold calls, in-person, LinkedIn, something else?

• Are there platforms, groups, or associations worth joining?

• What actually gets your attention vs. ignored?

Not looking to spam anyone just want to approach this the right way and be useful when needed.

Appreciate any insight 🙏

Hey all,

I recently got into property maintenance after being in restoration for 5 years. I'm used to working with symbility and xactimate to create estimates for projects. Currently the PM company I'm working with, they are making up the numbers as they go. The person training me says he just knows what the jobs are going for and bids off that but his bids are usually very off. Point is, what software do you all use to quote turn repairs to property owners?

I'm trying to streamline the process in order to focus my time on other aspects of my position and this has been a big bottle neck for us. I hope I explained this well. I appreciate all feedback!

I own a duplex in CA and managed for a few years before I moved out of state and decided to get a PM. Been with them for almost 2 years.

I'll keep it succinct, they suck. I was hands off for a while, naively believing that they would take care of everything. That's what I pay them hundreds of dollars a month for yeah?

They've made many mistakes that have cost me money. To list a few - didn't include pet rent on a lease ($50/mo), didn't include tenant paid utilities, over charged (imo) for simple repairs such as fixing a small part of a fence ($450), called an emergency plumber from water "leaking" (water came from neighbors hose, $400) the plumber dug up my paver walkway, had to pay handyman to replace said pavers ($300)....

Operations manager refuses to acknowledge mistakes on lease agreements, has no answers on the cost of simple repairs. I'm especially pissed about the fence because I knew what the issue was and told them what $7 part to buy from HD, somehow still cost hundreds.

Any advice for methods to navigate some kind of financial return on this? I'm thinking I take them to small claims court. Yes, I am firing them. Figure I should play nice first before that.

I saw something on here a while ago and just want to COMFIRM....I've been at this for a year now at a rural lodge that has monthly rooms. Anyone and everyone who has some "explanation" and "story" for what led them to needing to rent a room here winds up being an incredibly demanding, problematic tenant who simply cannot handle their life. Cannot handle the day to day. Pulls on energy. Has endless requests and complains. I'm done accepting people who want to share anything about themselves before renting here. You want a room? Cool. You want me to listen to you? Hit the road. Straight up.

I use cannabis to curb my anxiety so I can work a full time property management job. I feel so wrong using fake urine to bypass this, and it’s so ridiculous these days.

Hey everyone,

I’m honestly pretty frustrated and not sure what else I can even do at this point.

I live in North Hollywood, and a few days ago I left a small bag in my apartment building’s mailroom for a couple hours (around 3:30 to 6:30 PM). I went back for it and it was gone. Inside was about $600–$700 worth of collectible movies that I’ve been putting together for a while, so it’s not something I can just easily replace.

Management told me they have camera footage of someone taking it. At first they said they knew who it was, which made me think this would get resolved quickly. Then they walked that back and said the person isn’t clearly identifiable.

They sent out a building-wide email asking whoever took it to return it, but nothing came of that.

I filed a police report, and now this is the part that’s really bothering me — management is basically saying they’re not going to do anything else unless LAPD contacts them. So even though they have footage and know this happened, everything is just kind of stalled unless the police get involved, which realistically might not even happen for something like this.

It just feels like I hit a wall. There’s video of someone taking my stuff and no one is actually doing anything with it.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? Is there anything else I should be doing to push this forward, or am I just stuck waiting?

Appreciate any advice 🙏

I have a tenant who abandoned their unit after accruing $6k in unpaid rent and late fees. We've offered an affordable payment plan, after they had abandoned the unit and moved out, in lieu of collections but they have since stopped responding to all calls, texts, and emails. They claimed that they were getting deployed but failed to show any copy of the orders despite being asked multiple times, so I'm having a hard time believing that. I'm curious if others think that it's worth trying to get in touch with their military superiors and inform them of the situation and see if that gets us anywhere or if we should just go to collections move on. TIA.

Looking for input specifically from leasing professionals or property managers in larger apartment communities.

I have a Chapter 7 that was discharged in Feb 2026 (business-related). I’m relocating to Dallas and targeting professionally managed buildings (Greystar, MAA, Windsor, Gables-type properties).

My profile:

• Retired federal employee
• ~$150K/year stable income (pension + Social Security + Consulting)
• No evictions or rental issues ever. Always owned my home (and still do).
• Clean background

I understand many companies use centralized screening, so I’m trying to understand how this is actually handled in practice.

Questions:

• Are recently discharged Chapter 7 applicants automatically denied by most systems, or reviewed manually?
• Does a strong guarantor (800+ credit) override credit screening in your experience?
• How much does prepaying rent help, if at all?
• Are there certain companies or management groups that are more flexible than others?
• Is it worth contacting leasing offices ahead of applying, or does it not matter due to centralized screening?

Trying to be strategic and realistic before I start applying and paying multiple application fees.

So I rent an apt here in NYC and unfortunately I've been (as well as other residents) have been dealing with a problematic neighbor. Basically he's a creep who may or may not be recording and tracking people with one of his 3 ring cameras (mind you, we already have cameras in our hallway). He's also gotten into verbal altercations with me (f) and another woman. My other neighbor's mother is afraid of him. He's a prick. To my knowledge, myself and the other woman are the only ones that have reached out to property management about him. Is this grounds for lease termination? What can we do?

I signed the lease unseen because the leasing agent told me it was similar in floor plan and look to the one I toured I thought perfect I’ll take it come to find out it’s completely different room proportions, and kitchen make up. There are also two huge barn doors that lead out to a shared patio mind you I’m a woman living alone. I don’t want huge doors in my living room room. I wasn’t made aware of this. I went to the building to visit my friend and noticed all on my own. Now they want $500 to transfer my lease and a unit isn’t even available. Any advice on what to do??