Every industry has its not-so trustworthy individuals. Property Management is no different.

In this post I’m going to highlight one of the ways a Property Manager or management company may work against the property owner to help themselves. Be on the lookout for :

Flipping Units

This may go by other terms but I call it “flipping units”. This is the practice of not renewing a lease, causing the unit to “flip” and change tenants.

In the beginning, tenant flipping my not be noticeable. But over time, as the property owner, you’ll start to see a trend of higher turnover. How does this occur?

A tenant who is ignored by a manager may elect to not renew a lease. On the flip side, a property manager who deems a tenant a burden may seek to not renew the lease, too. Either way, the unit is vacated. Immediately this creates a loss for the property owner. Any amount of time, even a day, is revenue not generated.

Once the unit is back on the market a Property Manager may have the ability to generate application fees and a lease commission for a portion or even all of the first month’s rent. These rates vary between management companies and they can be MUCH higher than the monthly management fees. Let’s look at the math:

Tenant Stays:

• Monthly Rent: $1,200
• Management Fee (10%): $120/mo OR $1,440/yr
• Yearly Management Cost: $1,440

Unit Flipped:

• Monthly Rent: $1,200
• Management Fee (10%): $120/mo OR $1,440/yr
• Placement Commission (100%/1-month): $1200
• Yearly Management: $2,640

Simply: tenant turnover equals additional income for the Property Manager. Be on the lookout for this practice and ask your Property Manager for any additional income to justify not renewing a lease. Make sure you’re on the same page and require documentation via their online portal or via email.