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Charleston property management companies all require applications for prospective tenants. Applications are a necessary part of the leasing process because they help property managers to screen tenants. Most applications will require renters to include their basic information as well as a copy of their photo ID, social security number, proof of income (usually one to two months) and references.

Charleston property management companies use the information they gather in the application to run a credit and background check on applicants and verify that they can afford the home they are applying for. A property manager will also call your references and even past landlords that come up on the background and credit checks.

Some tenant applications are denied, and the tenant may be left wondering why. There are many common reasons that Charleston property management companies may deny your rental request.

• The tenant does not make enough money to pay rent. Most Charleston property management companies require tenants to make three times the monthly rent amount in income.
• Past eviction filings.
• Monies owed to previous landlords or property management companies.
• Credit score too low. Many companies will require a minimum of 520 credit score.
• Bad references.
• Violent criminal history or felonies.
• Unsatisfactory history of paying a comparable amount for rent or a mortgage.
• Pets do not meet the requirements of the lease.
• Other occupants of the home do not meet lease requirements.

Charleston property management companies do thorough checks on tenants to make sure that the homes they manage are occupied by the best possible tenants. The type of tenants you have can make or break your rental business but hiring a property management company to manage the properties is one way you can ensure that your tenants are the most qualified.

If you are ready to let professionals manage your rental property, call Scott Properties of Charleston today!

You’ve decided to join the millions of other property owners who have Charleston property management companies running their rental business. You know you want more time to invest, enjoy your retirement, travel, or spend time with your friends and family and have decided to hand over the reins of your rental business to qualified and successful property managers. How do you know which Charleston property management companies will bring you the most success?

Googling Charleston property management companies is a great way to start your search. Google search engine will give you many companies to start researching. Google will also give you the address, website, phone number of the business, as well as reviews that people have left on Google. After you have a list of the property management companies in the Charleston, SC area, start checking their websites, Yelp, Angie’s list, and other online sources to see reviews of the company.

Property owners cannot rely solely on reviews to get an understanding of the best property management companies available to them. When you call and talk to the companies, you are considering you should ask them several questions to see if they’re right for you.

• What is your turnover rate?
• What lease terms do you work with?
• Which are your preferred vendors for different services?
• What is your guarantee on occupancy?
• How many property owner clients do you currently work with?
• What is your marketing plan?
• How do you screen tenants?
• What system do you have in place for tenant emergencies?
• How often do you conduct inspections of the property?
• What services does your company prefer?
• Do you offer different packages based on service bundles?
• How fast can you turn a property for new tenants?

This list is not exhaustive of all the questions you should ask when determining the best Charleston property management companies for your rental business. When you’re ready to start talking to someone, contact Scott Properties now!

Charleston Property Management | Property owners put a lot of time and money into running their rental businesses. The costs associated with your rental home can be much more than you realized when you first decided to start renting your properties. Marketing, lawn care, cleaning, repairs, maintenance, pest control, and other costs of renting a home can add up quickly over time. One way to rein in those costs is to hire Charleston property management to handle your rental business.

What Does Charleston Property Management Do?

Charleston property management should be used for your rental business because a property management company can take all the pressures off your shoulders. A property manager can handle the tasks of marketing your home, fielding phone calls from prospective tenants, showing the house, and the entire leasing process which includes screening tenants. After finding the perfect tenants, Charleston property management will be the person your tenants will go to for maintenance requests, rental arrangements, and other issues they may have. Charleston property management will also handle rental inspections, lease renewals, and relationships with vendors including pest control, cleaning, and lawn care services.

Making More Money

Hiring property management has a cost associated with it so you might wonder how you can make money while employing someone else to handle your rental business. Most property management companies work by taking a fee out of the rental price of the home. This is usually a flat fee that depends upon the terms of the contract with the Charleston property management company. Paying this fee every month greatly diminishes the hassle that comes along with the rental property.

Most property management companies also have relationships with the vendors they use that affords them discounts and special pricing on services. This savings helps to keep costs lower for the property owners. Property managers are also frequently in touch with tenants and can keep up with the state of the home which allows them to get ahead of repairs that could cost a lot down the road.

If you are ready to put your property into the hands of a qualified property manager so that you can start making more money, contact Scott Properties today!

The most critical aspect of rental property management Charleston is to ensure that homes are occupied and their value continues to increase. However, there are a lot of mistakes that new property managers can make that could negatively impact the business and homeowner profits. Property management is a fast-paced industry that connects managers with dozens of people every week, making mistakes happen. If you know about these five common property manager mistakes ahead of time, you can avoid them.

1. Not Understanding the Rental Market-The first big mistakes that rental property management Charleston managers can make is not understanding the rental market. Cities like Charleston have many neighborhoods and smaller neighboring towns and cities. The average rental rates in each of these places vary, as well as the home values. Property managers need to know the market they are renting homes in.
2. Making Application Concessions-The application process should be thorough. A good tenant will be able to pass a credit and background check as well as income verification and references checks. Just because the background and credit come back great, doesn’t mean you should skip the references and income verification. You can find out a lot about a person by talking to their references and employer.
3. Not Charging an Application Fee-An application fee serves two purposes. One is that the fee helps to offset the costs of background and credit checks. The second is because if a tenant cannot afford the application fee, how will they afford the deposit and rent?
4. Not Understanding the Competition-Part of understanding the rental market is understanding the competition you have. Rental property management Charleston companies should always be keeping an eye on the competition to know when they increase their rent, offer specials, or have events.
5. Not Focusing on Retention-Rental property management Charleston managers have a lot on their plate. There are dozens of new people moving to Charleston every day and filling properties can be the majority of your day, but you can’t forget about resident retention. Once a rental home is occupied you want to keep good tenants living there.

If you are looking for a property manager for your rental homes in Charleston, contact us here.

When you decide to invest in rental property you are committing to a business that will be fast-paced and demand your attention, especially when you have multiple properties you are renting. A single-family home rental can increase your income and be an investment that keeps going up in value, as long as you don’t make these critical mistakes when renting.

1. Applications and Verification- In order to find the best tenants for your home, you must screen them through an application process. Tenants should make at least triple the rent in income if they are going to be able to afford the home and should have a clean background and credit check. You should obtain a social security number and photo identification for each tenant that wants to apply for the apartment and run the appropriate checks. Charleston property management uses a variety of programs for this purpose.
2. Not Having a Good Enough Lease-If you’ve ever looked at a lease, you will see that they are pages long. Lease terms need to be very detailed to protect both the homeowner and renter. Merely having your tenant sign a piece of paper saying when they moved in, how long they can stay, and how much their rent is, will not be enough to ensure you are protected legally. A legal team always backs Charleston property management leases.
3. Inspections-After the tenant moves in, as long as the lease provides for it, the owner or Charleston property management, can conduct inspections of the property to ensure the tenant is in good standing with the lease terms. Most property managers or owners conduct inspections every six months, some annually, and others as they see appropriate due to suspicion of lease violations.

If you want to avoid making these common mistakes when renting your home, call a Charleston property management company like Scott Properties

Property Management | One of the more important aspects to your curb appeal of a rental home is the lawn and landscaping. When a prospective tenant pulls up to a house for the first time, they don’t want to see dead grass or trees with a disease, muddy holes, or cracked sidewalks with weeds growing through. When new tenants see a home that is well cared for, they put more trust in the Charleston property management companies and are more eager to sign a lease.

Some Charleston property management companies require that tenants maintain the lawn and provide lawn services such as mowing, raking, and pulling weeds. While it may seem like common sense for people that live in homes to know how to take care of the lawn and garden, many families are too busy to put much attention into their yard space.

Some tenants may mow, pull weeds, and keep the bushes trimmed but detailed landscaping and large yards require more than just the necessary upkeep. When tenants move out and leave the yard and landscaping trashed, repairing the mess can be costly and take a long time preventing you from showing the home. Charleston, property management companies, will see much better results by using their service vendors to take care of the lawn and garden chores for homes.
Tenants are also more likely to rent from Charleston property management companies that include perks such as lawn care in their lease agreements. More families are willing to pay more in rent if outside chores such as mowing, landscaping, and weeding are left up to the professionals. Being able to charge more for rent can offset the cost of yard maintenance and ensure that the property value continues to go up each year which will make the property owner more than happy.

Give Scott Properties a call if you are interested in working with a Charleston property management company that provides more than just rent collection.

Property Manager | You’ve watched all the home flipping television shows on cable. You’re subscribed to every home and garden magazine and have already got your eye on a few properties you would love to flip. If you’ve decided to start flipping houses or buying properties to turn into rental homes for extra income you should know where to start.

1. Do Your Homework- Look at the Charleston property management companies and see what kind of properties they are managing and how much they are charging for rent. Property management companies have expert knowledge on the market rent and types of home that are most likely to rent quickly. Property owners should also pay attention to the real estate market, so they make good purchasing decisions when they choose a property.
2. Register Your Business-You will need to register your business with all appropriate government entities which can include local, state, and federal agencies. Running a rental business may seem easy when you look at Charleston property management companies, but running a business is hard work. You need to make sure that your business is legal and should consider hiring an attorney to help you set up your business.
3. Learn about Renting-If you’ve never worked in Charleston property management companies, you might not have an idea of what it takes to run a rental business. There are many landlord-tenant laws, ordinances, and processes that property owners must learn and abide by if they are going to rent out property that they own.
4. Hire Charleston Property Management Companies-Running a rental business can be hard, frustrating, and time-consuming. One of the best things you can do for your rental business is to hire Charleston property management companies to handle the day-to-day tasks of your rental business. When you hire a property management company you are guaranteed to have your rental business meet all legal requirements, your home will be rented quickly, and you will be on your way to making passive income in no time.

If you’re ready to begin your rental business with Charleston property management companies call Scott Properties!