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Property Management Blog

Landlord-Tenant Disputes: The No. 1 Way to Keep the Peace, Enforce the Lease

System - Monday, June 8, 2020


One of the most common problems that some landlords have is dealing with landlord - tenant disputes.

Thankfully, there are a wide variety of solutions that landlords can use to handle landlord - tenant disputes including the following:

1. Avoid disputes by knowing the law. The best way to resolve disputes is by avoiding them before they even begin. Many problems arise because one party does not know that they have broken the lease agreement, or they’re unaware of their rights under the law. Taking the time to learn the law — and staying up to date on changes to housing laws — will help you avoid disputes and make you a better landlord.

2. Keep your cool. When a situation arises, never lose your temper, even if your tenant does. Try to stay as calm as possible, and do your best to take care of the situation on your own. If you’re having difficulty, or if your tenant is not cooperating, you may need to seek assistance in court. However, by keeping your cool, you are representing yourself in the best possible light.

3. Talk it out. Many problems with tenants can be solved if the issue is discussed thoroughly on both sides. Do not let your temper flare, even if you are justifiably angry. There may be an honest answer to a problem, and both of you may be blowing it out of proportion. Working it out between the two parties is almost always cheaper and easier in the long term.

4. Meet face to face. If you have only traded angry words with your tenant over the phone or by e-mail, a face-to-face meeting may help. Hold the meeting in neutral territory, where both of you will feel safe.

5. Get a professional mediator. If you have tried without success to resolve the dispute, a professional mediator may be able to assist you. Many states now provide property-dispute mediators who are trained to deal with situations that can arise with rental properties.

6. Submit to arbitration. Arbitration is similar to mediation, but arbitration is binding. An arbitrator will hear both sides of the case and issue a binding ruling to which you must adhere. If you are worried that you’re in the wrong, you probably won’t want to take this step. Instead, own up to the problem and try to settle with your tenant.

7. Document everything. A paper trail is your best defense. If your tenant has repeatedly broken the rules of your building or lease agreement, or if they have made unreasonable demands, your documentation can help prove your case. Keep a file on each tenant, and record all that transpires. Presenting this documentation to your tenant may even dissuade him or her from taking you to court.

8. Let the lawyers decide. Many cases can be resolved before they go to court, once lawyers are involved. If you and you tenant are currently represented by lawyers, they may be able to help you settle the case out of court.

9. Small claims court. In most cases, disputes arising from rental property fall under the jurisdiction of small claims court. This option is usually cheaper than going to civil or criminal court, and may lead to a quicker resolution.

10. Take it to litigation. If you have exhausted all other avenues, you may have to take your tenant to civil or criminal court. The actions of your tenant will dictate the manner in which the case should be tried. Make sure that your lawyer is well-versed in landlord/tenant law, and capable of prosecuting the case successfully. Be prepared to supply all necessary documentation of what has transpired.

Source

Contact Martin Property Management

For more information about the property management services that we can offer you, contact us today by calling (617) 957-0166 or click here.

Tenant Screening Tips

System - Monday, June 1, 2020


Do you have one or more properties in the Bedford area that currently have vacancies? If so, with those vacancies you're going to have to screen tenants in order to find the right people to live in those properties.

Sadly, tenant screening is one of the top things that most landlords hate doing because of the simple fact that they either dislike having to take the time looking into a potential tenant’s background, or they don't have the heart to disqualify people based on specific criteria.

Thankfully, tenant screening can be easier than you think, especially if you know what criteria you should establish from the very beginning.

In this article, we will offer you several tips that you can use during the process of tenant screening which will make it easier than you ever imagined it could be.

Tip #1 - Criminal History

The first thing that you should establish during the process of tenant screening is your criteria if a prospective tenant has a criminal history.

In today's world, you cannot discriminate against the tenant based upon their criminal history but, you can specify which type of criminal history you’re willing to consider or not consider, especially if their offenses were violent, or non-violent.

Tip #2 - Rental History

During the process of screen tenants, you're also going to have to consider a tenant's rental history. 

This is also very important because the fact that you may encounter one or more prospective tenants who have rental histories which show that they stay an average of 3 to 6 months (or less) at the rental properties that they live in.

If you encounter a prospective tenant with a rental history like this, the most important thing to do is to ask them for reasons behind why they stay at the places they rent for short periods of time because, their job may require them to move frequently but, if they don't have a legitimate reason behind the rental history, you should consider continuing to look for the right tenant.

Tip #3 - Evictions

Last of all, but most important, another thing to consider when screening tenants to live in your rental property is if they have any evictions in their rental history or not.

During the process of screening tenants, you may encounter at least one person with an eviction, in this case, you should pay serious attention to when the eviction occurred and also verify if it was classified as a satisfied eviction, meaning that they paid any back rent that they owed, and all court costs associated with the eviction.

Contact Martin Property Management

For more tenant screening tips, or to speak with us about the property management services that we can offer you, contact us today by clicking here.

Tired of Property Maintenance? Why Not Hire A Property Manager Instead?

System - Wednesday, May 27, 2020


Are you tired of having to perform maintenance on your Bedford area rental properties? If so, come to the right place.


There's no doubt that property maintenance is a necessary fact of life when you own a rental property because, when things break down, or need repairs, you're always going to be the first person that your tenant calls because of the simple fact that as the owner of the property everything falls back on you.


In today's world, it's not uncommon for most Property Owners to be tasked with doing everything from changing out toilets, taking care of minor Plumbing, electrical or Landscaping work because they think that DIY Property Management save time and money.


The reality is that even though you can do the work on your rental property yourself, DIY property management is costing you more money than you know because the simple fact that for every minute that you invest working on your rental property, you could be spending that time focusing on building your portfolio of investment properties instead


What's the Solution to The Problem?


You may be wondering, okay what's the solution to the problem? The answer, or solution to the problem is to hire a property management company to professionally manage your portfolio of rental properties in the Bedford area.


When you hire Martin Property Management to manage your properties for you, you can have confidence that we're going to save you the time, money and hassle of managing your investment properties yourself so that you could focus on growing your portfolio of income properties rather than constantly having to be bogged down by performing maintenance on them.


 Some of the Property Management Services that we can offer you include tenant placement, tenant's selection, maintenance, customer service, property marketing, accounting and so much more. We truly are the Bedford areas best Property Management Company because we have the most experience and we provide excellent service as well.


Contact Martin Property Management


To learn more about the property management services that we can offer you, contact us today by clicking here.


Seven Habits of Highly Effective Real Estate Investors

System - Thursday, May 21, 2020

Are you planning on investing in your first rental property? If so, you've come to the right place!


In this article, we will share with you the top 7 more productive habits of real estate investors. 


Habit 1: Be proactive.


Covey introduces the ideas of Circle of Influence and Circle of Concern in his book. Imagine two concentric circles. The bigger circle, the Circle of Concern, is all of the things you can worry about going wrong in real estate: contractors not showing up, water heater breaks, investors backing out of a commitment. Inside that circle is a slightly smaller one, the Circle of Influence, for items that you have control over.


Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react. As investors, we must be proactive, control the controllable to expand our Circle of Influence. Accept responsibility for situations and take initiative to make things better. Waiting for problems to happen or taking a woe-is-me kind of attitude will get you nowhere.


Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind.


This goes far beyond envisioning how you want your fixer-upper to look at the end of construction or the conclusion of an investor pitch meeting. You also have to have a picture in mind what you want your life to look like in the end and your relationships with the people who matter so you don’t end up working aimlessly. Lots of motivational gurus talk about your “why” or “finding your purpose” ad nauseam — and the reason they do it is because it’s important. What is your mission? Spread the gift you were put on this world to give.


Habit 3: Put first things first.


As real estate investors, you have a myriad of to-dos. Prioritizing is key. Break out everything you have to do into a two-by-two matrix, with one axis labeled important versus not important and the other axis labeled urgent versus not urgent. We don’t have any problems with quadrant one, the important and urgent tasks, and although it might take some discipline, for the most part, we know to tune out the not-important and not-urgent time wasters.


However, we often overspend our time in the not-important-but-urgent quadrant and under-invest in quadrant two, the important but not urgent items that will pay many more dividends down the road. We need to delegate or decline the busy work and focus on what will sustain our business in the long run, and that is building relationships with brokers, agents, and various tradespeople.


Habit 4: Think win-win.


Most investors are deal junkies, but we must take the long view. Win-lose situations don’t build trust over time. You might want to ask the agent or broker to reduce their commissions, but you have to realize the pie is big enough for everybody. The reason it is hard is that it takes a tremendous amount of integrity, maturity, and, most of all, empathy. When you can do that, you can bet you will get tons of repeat business in the future.


Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.


Listen first. Ask questions. Too often are we ready to jump in to defend our position in negotiations or apply our lens to the problems that we miss out on the opportunity to peel back the onion to get at the deeper-rooted issues. Per Aaron Burr’s advice in the musical Hamilton, “Talk less. Smile more.”


Habit 6: Synergize.


What if 1 + 1 = 3 or 30? Often, complicated deals require innovative solutions. Could you perhaps work out a seller financing option or installment sale? Would an option contract make more sense for both parties? It’s not about your way or my way or even a compromise; it is about finding our way.


Habit 7: Sharpen the saw.


We must remember there’s more to life than money. Money is just a funny way of keeping score. What is the point of working yourself to the bone? Take care of your body, heart, mind, and spirit to periodically recharge and you’ll achieve your peak performance.


Source


Contact Martin Property Management


Are you interested in hiring a property manager to manage your Bedford area investment properties? If so, contact us today by clicking here.

Don’t Let Your Short-Term Rental Property Sit Vacant, Convert Into A Long-Term Rental

System - Friday, April 24, 2020


Since coronavirus, one thing that most investors who own short-term rental properties like Airbnb’s, across the United States have in common is that bookings from their short-term rentals have all but dried up.


Even though the president and most Governors are eager to reopen economies following coronavirus, the reality is that it's going to take the short-term rental market at least one year to recover. 


This is largely because since most people have been living off their emergency funds for the last 2 months and once people go back to work, they're going to be more focused on rebuilding their emergency funds rather than taking trips or booking Airbnb’s again.


How Long Should You Rent Your Property For?


If your goal is to ultimately be back in the game when it comes to renting out your short-term rental property then you should convert it into a long-term rental only for a period of six months. Renting it out to a tenant for 6 months will provide you with options and give you the ability to turn that property back into a long-term rental by early next year.


How long does it take to convert a short-term rental into a long-term rental property? The answer to this question is it could be done almost immediately, regardless if your property is furnished or not.


 At Martin Property Management, we're experts at the local rental market and can promise you that if you choose us to manage your rental property for you, we will provide you with excellent Property Management Services and help you with renting your property for the most money possible.


 Some of the Property Management Services that we can offer you include tenant placement, property marketing, rent collection, accounting, maintenance and so much more!


Contact Martin Property Management


 To get started with hiring a property manager to manage your Bedford area rental property, give us a call today at (617) 957-0166 or click here to connect with us online. 

We’re Still Open During Coronavirus!

System - Wednesday, April 1, 2020

With many businesses closing due to coronavirus, and the rental market changing, many landlords are working harder than ever before to manage their investment properties.

Thankfully, the team at Martin Property Management is still working to offer professional property management services to landlords in the Bedford, MA area.

What Services Do We Offer?

At Martin Property Management we offer a wide variety of property management services that can save owners the time, money and hassle of having to manage their investment properties themselves.

  • Property Marketing – We will market your property professionally online so that it’s found by renters who are interested in living in the Bedford area.
  • Maintenance – No more changing toilets, doing plumbing or minor jobs, our team rocks at taking care of property maintenance and will keep your rental property in great shape.
  • Rent collection – When it comes time to collecting rent, you can count on us to collect it on time and deposit the money into your account on time each month.
  • Tenant selection – You can count on us to screen and place the most qualified tenants to live in your rental properties.
  • Accounting – With our tenant portal, you can have access to all of the financials related to your property. You can rest easy in having all of the financial information that you need in one place especially when tax time comes.

Contact Martin Property Management

To learn more about the property management services we can offer you contact us today by calling (617) 957-0166 or click here to connect with us online.

Burlington MA Property Manager - Click Here For A Property Management Quote!

System - Thursday, February 20, 2020


Are you searching for a Burlington MA property manager? If so, you've come to the right place! At Martin Property Management, we specialize in managing properties in Burlington and throughout the entire area. 


From the moment that you contact us, you count on us to be a professional property management company who will handle all of your management needs from A to Z


Hiring a property manager is important because, we're going to save you the time, money, and hassle of managing your investment property yourself so that you can focus on investing in other properties in the greater Burlington area to add to your portfolio of investment properties.


Your Burlington MA Property Manager


It doesn't matter if you manage your Burlington MA rental properties yourself, any time that you invest in managing your properties is time that could be spent doing other productive tasks to grow your portfolio of investment properties.


When you contact Martin Property Management, you can rely upon our Burlington MA Property Manager to handle a wide variety of property management services for you including rent selection, maintenance, customer service, accounting, tenant selection, take a placement and so much more!


Contact Martin Property Management


To learn more about the Burlington MA Property Manager Services that we can offer you contact us today by calling (617) 957-0166 or click here to connect with us online. 

Bedford Property Management Company - Contact Us Today by Clicking Here

System - Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Are you searching for a Bedford property management company? If so, you come to the right place!

At Martin Property Management, we specialize in offering full Property Management Services to investors in the Bedford Massachusetts area. From rent collection, maintenance, customer service, property marketing and more you can count on us to provide you with the property management service to fit all of your needs!

Your Bedford Property Management Company

One of the great things about working with Martin property management is that we've been specializing in Bedford Property Management for years. Our team has decades of combined experience. This will provide you with peace of mind knowing that every facet of your investment properties is being cared for by professionals who have your absolute best interest at heart. 

Let Us Help You Add Properties to Your Portfolio

Besides managing the properties in your real estate portfolio, we can also assist you with adding new rental properties to your portfolio as well. Our team is skilled at sourcing, acquiring, and managing rental properties in the Bedford area so it doesn't matter if you're looking for a single-family home or a multi-family property to add to your portfolio of income properties, you can count on us to provide you with all the services to meet you.

To learn more about the services that we can offer you, contact us today by calling (617) 957-0166 or click here to connect with this online. 

How to Get Your Rental Property Ready for Heavy Snowfall

System - Wednesday, November 28, 2018


With the end of Thanksgiving 2018 there’s one word that’s on the mind of homeowners across the Waltham MA area and it’s WINTER.

Every homeowner in the area knows that winters in Massachusetts can come quickly that’s why it’s important that you do everything possible right now to get your home ready for winter and heavy snowfall by following these tips.

How can snow be removed without going on the roof?

De-icing materials and extended snow rakes or drag lines are commonly used to remove snow from roofs. In many cases, the snow can be removed without going on the roof. Snow rakes usually have a long blade to remove snow without damaging shingles and can be used standing from the ground with an adequate extension. De-icing materials can also be used while working from the ground. In some areas, it may make sense to install an electronic de-icing system on the home that will minimize snow buildup on roofs, valleys and eaves.

Where are hidden hazards on the roof that need to be identified?

Falls are the leading cause for most worker fatalities and injuries during rooftop snow removal, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Workers can fall through skylights, roof drains and vents in addition to falling from ladders and aerial lifts. Before going onto the roof, identify any potential hazards.

How should the snow be removed to prevent unbalanced loading?

Before attempting to remove snow, assess the load – the weight of the snow, workers and equipment used – and the load limit of the roof of the home. Doing so is not easy but a flat and slightly pitched roofs are most vulnerable to heavy accumulations. Ideally, you should lessen the load on the roof, not necessarily remove all the snow. Do so by uniformly removing snow and avoid making big piles.

How should workers be prepared to safely remove snow?

Workers should wear appropriate fall protection equipment and clothing, and avoid using a snow rake or shovel while working from the ladder. Workers should protect against frostbite and hypothermia by wearing appropriate warm clothing.

Excessive physical exertion can cause exhaustion, dehydration, back injuries and heart attacks, which can lead to falls. Remove snow by scooping or pushing small amounts at a time. Use proper form for lifting. Take frequent breaks and drink fluids.

What fall protection equipment will be needed?

A fall arrest system typically involves a full body harness, anchor point and a connector that protects the worker from falling. Anchor points must be able to support at least 5,000 pounds for each worker attached, according to Occupational Safety & Health Administration guidelines.

How can snow removal equipment be safely elevated to the roof?

Snow blowers are good for removing snow but can cause injury if not properly used. Raise materials like snow blowers and other snow removal equipment using lifts, winches, pull ropes or other related equipment. Snow blowers should not be overloaded, and operated at a modest speed.

Source

Contact Martin Property Management

Tired of managing your Waltham area rental properties yourself? Contact Martin Property Management today by calling us at (617) 957-0166 or click here connect with us online. 


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Martin Property Management, LLC
P.O. Box 331
Bedford, MA 01730

Phone 617.957.0166

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