I’ve been reading a few discussions on here about people managing properties when they don’t live nearby.
I’m based in York and have worked in and around properties for years, and it got me wondering how people actually manage the practical side of things when they live a fair distance away.
If something comes up where somebody actually needs to go to the property, what do you normally do?
Do you travel over yourself, rely on the tenant or tradesman, or have somebody local you trust?
Just interested to know what people find works best and what tends to cause the most hassle.
I would never do this. I’ve often had to attend the property at short notice when there was a leak, someone had lost their keys, the fusebox tripped and couldn’t be re-set etc. Tenants often have little or no experience of managing a property and some have asked me to help them change a lightbulb because they’re not confident of doing it without breaking something. Then there are the quarterly inspections, which these days are essential if you want to avoid fines and penalties.
If I was moving away, I would either hand it over to a fully managing agent or sell it.
I live in London and I have several properties in Manchester. I know companies who I can call on to do gas and electric and plumbing, so it’s never been a real problem for maintenance. Big jobs are another matter – for a big renovation you need to be there frequently and check over what’s being done.
I rarely go up there, no need and the tenant doesn’t want to see me. When the gas safety is done I ask the engineer to let me know if they see anything amiss – and they have reported the odd thing (mice, for example) In fact, the main reason I’ve actually had for going there is to attend court hearings – even the bailiffs could be handled remotely, I just got a locksmith to attend – hopefully never again!
Thanks both, interesting replies.
Howard it sounds like having trades you know and trust makes managing from a distance quite a bit easier.
David, I was wondering if there is anything in between doing it all yourself and using a fully managed agent.
Has anyone used a service where you still manage the property yourself but have someone local to call on when needed?
I managed it myself and had someone available in emergencies .
I did leave keys with people I trusted just in case and
I did travel sometimes .
I did have one situation where a tenant alleged a utility issue and my solicitor made me drive 5 hours to deal with a hoax because of the nature of the tenant
I wrote my contract clauses to cover tenant eventualities
Mostly after the first month of teething it usually settles
I also go through the property with a fine tooth comb and deal with everything or potential problems that may occur so I’m less likely to get called
Well not had to do remotely myself yet but looked into.. there is OR ‘management plus’ or emergency cover from landlord insurance companies , or homeserve will cover annual boiler service plus emergency callouts
Regular stuff like gsr/annual boiler service you book someone and don’t need to attend.
Inspections can also be contracted out to OR or others, just like check ins, viewing and Inventories.
Spare keys can be left with a local friend or an agent will do that for a fee I expect.
The advantage of eg pro inventories and inspection is done using a standard checklist and pro dated photos tho costly to do every quarter.. disadvantage of doing all these things remotely will be the same as using an agent. You dont have the personal connection with the tenant, will be less likely to hear about that small leak under the sink that leads to the kitchen units and floors becoming rotten and needing replacing entirely etc
That then leaves more major stuff like redecorating between tenants or refurbs. If you have trades you trust fine, myself I still like to get 3 quotes.