Front Yards Without Grass: Now What?

Drought. Yep, it’s a fact of life, and here in California, regardless of how much rain we get, droughts are inevitably coming back. So, you may be wondering, as you drive around neighborhoods, how to make front yards without grass, and still have them look good.

I don’t want grass in the front yard anymore, now what?

I have had a few people ask me the question “I don’t want grass in the front yard anymore, now what?” in various forms.

There are a lot of options in going grass-free. However, I guess my first question is…

…why do you want to change it?

Curb appeal means so much, and when considering the question of front yards without grass, you must also carefully consider your alternatives as well. Consideration of curb appeal is true whether discussing your primary residence, or your rental(s). What I mean is, consider the material you wish to replace the grass with, the initial cost (installation and product), the life of the product, as well as the replacement cost.

If you want to lose the grass in your front yard to be a good steward of the environment, that’s fine. If it’s simply knee-jerk because others are doing it, or regarding cost, for a rental, generally I’d advise against it, and here’s why:

Your resident pays the water.
Grass one of the least expensive types of ground cover.
It adds warmth (green, though it is) to the yard.
landscaping

It’s Not Your Bill

Just like electrical service, you’d be unwise to pay the water bill on any rental if you can avoid it. Back when I was a renter, I lived in two houses where the owner paid the water, and while I’m not saying that we abused it, but, well….okay, I am saying exactly that. My roomie would run the backwater all day long for no real reason. “I’m trying to drown out the gophers” he’d state when I said something about it. In the other instance, my son’s buddy filled up the back of his pickup truck with water. I did too. Tarps seal pickup beds only so much, by the way.

Anyhow, watering the yard is part and parcel of any of our rental agreements. And, by the way, it only costs about $100 to establish an average-sized yard.

What is an average size yard?

The average yard nationally is 8750 square feet. The average home covers 2300 square feet. That leaves 6420 square feet. Take out the driveway and porches, patios, and you’re left with about 5800 square feet of yard to care for, on average. More on that later.

Grass is almost Dirt Cheap!

Grass is one of the least expensive types of ground cover, in establishing anyway. Sure, there is water and mowing costs, so over time it is not that cost effective, but if the resident is watering it and mowing it, per their contract, what is your cost? Occasional fertilizing, sprinklers heads, and maybe a timer every five years or less. My timer is 13 years old and still works like a charm.

Warmth

As I mentioned above, though it is green, grass adds warmth, life, as opposed to dead earth. At the end of a long, hard day, it is a pleasure to pull into one’s driveway with a green, lush lawn.

Ratting them out

The front yard is a fantastic indicator of other things happening at your rental property. From doing BPO’s (bank-owned property inspections) to insurance inspections, in addition to rental property inspections, I can say, confidently, that the interior of a home will mimic that which you see happening at the front yard about 90% of the time. In other words, what you see at the front yard, abuse, lack of care, etc., will pretty accurately indicate interior conditions in most cases. There are exceptions, sure, however, front yards without grass do not give you any clues.

Changing to What?

You have a variety of choices when it comes to front yard landscaping. I had a neighbor in Claremont many years ago, way before the current droughts, who made her front yard a veritable desert garden. This elderly lady was out in the yard every morning, tending it, trimming this, planting that. Not a single blade of grass. She was very proud of it, and it showed. However, it looked like it was: a desert garden.

I also happen to know a property owner who opted to leave the front yard dirt. This owner had a high turnover rate until the current folks moved in. These folks put in grass, and red bark. At their own cost!

There are, like I said, many ways to make nice front yards without grass. Let’s look at a few…

Astro-turf

Astro-turf costs, installed, from $5.50 to $9 per square foot installed. That could run you as much as $22,500! That must be some great turf! You know, I have yet to see a turn yard that did not look like turf, especially as it ages.

Bark

Bark is an okay item, but it is not maintenance-free. You have to put it over weed block fabric, at the very least. Otherwise, you’ll be fighting the “Battle O’ The Weeds” forever. Also, bark does decompose, and you do have to add bark to make up for it occasionally. The cost is about $2785 for that 2500 average square foot front yard.

Ivy and vine plants

Ivy and Vine plants for front yards without grass is a short-term win, but a long-term loss. There will be maintenance, and, as I see constantly, the plants generally get to the age where they are not very attractive. I’m not even pricing this out.

Rock

Rock, plan on about $2.50 a square foot. We use Gold Rock, not pea gravel, and there is a big difference! Pea gravel will cost you less, but the yard will look sort of like a moonscape. Cold, barren. Cost, $6250. By the way, that is with a thick vinyl liner beneath, and border bumpers. A good combo is to put 65% of your yard in what I just mentioned with a drip system on plants that require very little water. The rest in the grass. With this combination you end up reducing your water bill, you still kept the warmth with 35% being grass and you have kept great curb appeal.

Decomposed Granite

Decomposed granite is usually not done very well in southern California. Arizona, now these folks know how to do it right. Depending on depth, can cost anywhere from $1 to $3.50 per square foot. If the front yard is 2500 square feet, that can cost as much as $8750, installed.

As a homeowner

I have considered all of the above materials for my front yard, although I currently have grass on most of my yard. My yard watering costs me about $15.00 a month, averaged over the year. I spend maybe $30 a year on sprinklers. Gas for mowing? About $1 a week. My mower set is back about $228.

However, knowing the drought is coming back, I do have a plan to change it over, at least to a degree. With my research and practical experience in this, I’d advise keeping at least part of your yard grass. Again, life and warmth.

If replacing any of it with rock, bark, or decomposed granite, DO PLANT SOMETHING in these areas to keep them from looking lifeless. You’re right; succulents are a great idea!

Mixing and matching a yard with grass, and alternate covers can give you good curb appeal, and a cost-effective ground cover, all the while saving precious water!

Done smart, front yards without grass, (or with less grass) can look really good!

For more information on Landscaping Your Rental Property, check out this great article.

By mgt1stg|2020-06-04T08:09:11-07:00June 4, 2020|Maintenance|0 Comments

Rental Property Yard Care: Types, Responsibilities, & Best Practices

The front yard is usually the first thing seen when evaluating a property’s curb appeal, so rental yard care, or overall yard care for that matter, is important. Over the last 30 years of property management, we are often asked questions, such as:

What sort of front and rear yard should my rental property have?
How much does rental yard care cost?
Will the renter care for the yard, or should I hire someone to do it?

Often one can discern, or at least accurately guess at, the interior condition of a property based on the condition of the front yard. That front yard is informative in that if it is not being cared for, a good percentage of the time, neither is the interior of the house being taken care of. It’s not perfect, but it is a decent baseline.

Let’s address these questions, and while doing so let’s looks at the small picture and the big picture simultaneously.

What Sort of Yard Should My Rental Property Have?

Front yards come in many sizes, from near postage-stamp-sized to “OMG who’s going to mow this nightmare” sized, be it a rental property or the property where you hang your hat. Simply driving through any neighborhood, you will likely see divergent types of yards: all grass, trees and shrubs, decomposed granite yards, and sometimes even derelict, overgrown, weed-infested yards. Once in a blue moon, you may even spot a front yard that resembles a playground. Near me, there is a yard that looks like an honest to goodness theme park. Not only that, but any mix of the above is certainly possible.

First Thing’s First: Yard Upkeep is Important

Straight away, never, ever, EVER let your yard become an overgrown weed infested mess whether you are a renter or a landlord. As a property owner myself, I cannot fathom how anyone can just let their yard go. That is right up there with parking on the grass, you just don’t do it. Code enforcement, if your city has it (most do), if they do their job (jury’s out on that one), they will cite you for your overgrown weed-infested jungle, or aforementioned car parked on the grass.

HOA: The Property Police

Is there a HOA at the subject property? If so, be absolutely sure you are clear on their yard requirements. I have seen and heard all sorts of horror stories about folks having to remove, and/or plant certain species of grass, and/or shrubs per HOA requirements, or risk being cited. Clearly know what they require first.

Rental Lawn Care Best Practices

Barring any rule or legislative prohibitions, such a HOAs, or requests to limit or to not water, as California had in place for a while, you are good to go in terms of designing your yards.

If you’re a “Buyer Keeper” sort of owner, (or a resident who takes great pride in appearances), this is where the fun starts.

Grass

The most cost-effective yard, in my opinion, is grass. Hands down. Period. An average size yard can be seeded and covered in decent grass seed and manure for $100 or less. However, there are downsides:

Labor. That grass has to be cut weekly in warm months.
Grass has to be fertilized periodically, at least once a year.
Grass can use a fair amount of water, more so in warmer months.
Not all renters think to themselves “Golly, the yard is drying out and dying, I better increase my watering and thus cost myself a higher water bill. As a matter of fact, the opposite is true much of the time.

Counterpoints to the above include:

Rental yard care labor. The resident can hire a gardener to mow, aerate, dethatch, etc. The downside, expense. The landlord can hire a gardener or a property management company can provide a gardener at the property owner’s expense. This would be written into the management agreement.
The upside to providing lawn service is that the landlord has just been granted another set of eyes with which to monitor the property.
I’ll be perfectly honest here, as a property owner, I am, at times, less than motivated to mow my own yard. That directly affects my curb appeal, and in a way, my property value. I have a vested interest, and there are a good many weeks I say to myself, “Yard, you’re on your own”.
Fertilizing a yard is no big deal, remembering to fertilize is the challenge. Cow manure works great, it is cheap, but it smells bad for a couple of days. So long as you water the yard thoroughly after applying cow poop, the grass will not usually burn. I highly recommend steer manure.
Each blade of grass belongs to its own little grass plant. As long as each plant gets the right amount of water and nourishment, it generally stays green. It’s not rocket science. However, water costs money to somebody, and most home renters also pay their own water bill. It can be a challenge at times to get a renter to think the same way an owner would. Renters have no issue cutting the watering down when it rains; however, when temperatures rise, it can be hard to get renters to up the water. Install an automatic sprinkler timer, and encourage your renter to use common sense in watering. It is their part of rental yard care.

Here’s an article with tips on how to get resident buy-in on landscape maintenance:

Other Yard Types

The Urban Jungle

When I lived in Claremont, California, there was this little old lady who spent hours in the front yard every morning working on her yard. Trimming, pruning, planting. Sadly, it did not look all that great, but she enjoyed doing it, and that’s all fine. However, a renter will never do this. They have jobs, and the odds of finding a renter who will take the same care of your jungle is slim to none. And it really is not all that attractive, in a curb appeal sort of way most of the time.

Decomposed Granite for Your Yard

Decomposed granite yards were a growing segment during the drought conditions in California not long ago, and for good reason: They require little maintenance, and they require little water. Pretty great, huh? However, decomposed granite is not cheap. A 500-square foot front yard can set you back nearly $850 according to this calculator. By the way, that does not include any extras, such as plants and watering systems for any plants. Not only that, but decomposed granite is NOT forever. Periodically you have to add more, because it, well, decomposes.

Astro Turf Front Yards

Just don’t.

Grass Really is Best When it Comes to Rental Yard Care

The cost of the grass is low. It warms and colors any yard wonderfully, adding a natural warm element to nearly any elevation. And I know I’ll catch some flak for this, but it IS environmentally responsible. WHA?!?!? Stick with me here.

In California, we just went through this whole drought business where watering ones yard was discouraged. In fact, water agencies and the state spent millions of dollars on campaigns extolling the public to cut back watering. Just before that, the state was offering up rebates between $1 a square foot and $4 a square foot depending on the region to convert yard to low or no water yards. As soon as the drought was in full swing those offered conversion funds suddenly evaporated. Ironic, no?

Some of the side effects of this “lower your water use” campaigns included people completely shutting of their yard water, killing their yards. This spawned some short lived entrepreneurial enterprises that offered to paint people’s dead yards green. It also spawned an explosion of insect proliferation, mostly spiders. Not watering means not mowing, which means not killing off lawn borne insect populations.

Another irony is that the folks posting the theories of global warming are largely the same crowd who somewhat shamed the folks who grew lawns in their yards. The irony is that those lawns actually absorb low hanging CO2, carbon dioxide. CO2 is heavier than air. The ground is the lowest you can go, grass grows there, and growing grass is actually a method of sequestering (storing) CO2 gasses into growing solid matter carbon. Grass can also be composted, recycled in away. For rental yard care, grass really is the way to go!

Professional woman sitting at her desk speaking with a client

By mgt1stg|2019-12-23T04:51:26-08:00December 23, 2019|Maintenance, Property Ownership|0 Comments

How to Remove those Foul Odors in Your Rental Property

When you reminisce about anything that brought you joy or something that wasn’t so pleasant what is a detail that runs through your head? As for me I always remember the smell. When I think of my Fiancé, I reminded of how good he smells and how much I loved his cologne the very first day we met. When I smell a newborn baby, I think of my baby when he was just born I remember how good he smelled and how much I enjoyed digging my nose into his little tummy and neck. When I think about work, I think of my Co-Workers Scentsy Candle that she always changes up with fun scents of Candy and Tropical Breeze. Whatever the scent, memories good and bad come flooding back. Maybe that is one of my strongest senses, but I have a feeling I am not alone.

The Cologne and Perfume Industry is predicted to have reached $45.6 billion as of 2018. You can’t walk into a department store without basking in the scent of the latest fragrance. But this also includes other toiletries. After people make themselves smell good, the following would be their homes and then their cars. So, the smell does matter. Aside from the most important fact that it warns us of danger such as a gas leak or a fire, our nose is a mighty superpower if you ask me. Other times we come across an odor that makes our noses turn up, but if it weren’t for our nose the phrase, “Stop and smell the Roses” wouldn’t exist. Don’t let your rental property be that one thing people wish they would have never smelled.

Science Says

Often it’s difficult for landlords or residents to smell what their house smells like because they are used to it. Science explains why we can’t smell our own home. We adapt to smell very quickly, this is called olfactory adaptation, and it’s the same reason we are unable to detect our breath or even perfume after a while. When we inhale, the molecules pass through the nostrils and stick to a wall of mucus on the back of our throat. The mucus is home to receptor cells that tell your brain what it is you’ve smelled. Our brain was programmed to “smell” and “sense” danger. Any change to our environment could be a potential hazard. After a few sniffs, we should know if the smell is of any danger. If it isn’t a potential threat, then your nose is no longer notifying you. Hence why we get used to the smell.

If you are like me, more than likely you are blind as to what your house smells like and are worried what people smell you can try these solutions to give your nose an awakener. Have you ever noticed the coffee beans in the fragrance department? What is the purpose of them? Smelling coffee beans in-between samples helps distinguish smells every new scent. You can use the same concept at home. You can leave for a couple of hours, smell some coffee beans and when you walk in you should be able to detect what others smell. If that doesn’t work, you can jump around a room for a few minutes. The blood flow can briefly improve your sense of smell. If that still doesn’t work, you can always ask someone close to you that don’t live in the house to be honest so long as your prepared for the truth.

Survey Says

As a Property Management Company, we understand the importance of smell. We surveyed 200 current residents, and prospective residents and 90% said: “smell matters, to the point of making or breaking the deal.” People are renting homes and do not want to rent a home that smells like cat urine, animal feces, cigarettes, and mothballs or even fresh paint.

Residents want to smell “at home,” they want to be greeted with smells of freshness and cleanliness. As the landlord you want residents to be taken back to a “memory” of joy and happiness, not wanting to run the other direction.

So how can you achieve this…

1. Professionally clean the carpets. Don’t try and rent a machine or use a home machine. They don’t have the suction power that the professional machines have. Request a citrus fragrance to be used in the cleaning solution. This scent will be subtle but just enough to please the sniffer. If there is extreme pet damage, no amount of cleaning will dilute the smell. You will be forced to pull up all the carpet and padding, treat the concrete before installing a new pad and carpet.

2. Walls hold smells, especially smoke and pet urine. The drywall acts like a sponge and holds on to the odor no matter how much you clean the walls. In most cases, primer and paint will do the trick. In extreme cases, you might have to replace all the drywall. During 9-11 special machines called the Deodorizer, was used to clear out the smoke smell from surrounding buildings, these machines work well in residential properties as well. In fact, they eliminate the odor it doesn’t mask the odor.

3. Use plug-in air fresheners strategically placed throughout the house. You don’t want one just at the front door and then nothing else throughout the home. Place one in each bathroom, the kitchen, by the front door, you want residents to remember the fresh smell as they walk through the house. There is absolutely no excuse for your house to stink unless your Oscar the Grouch.

We don’t recommend Oils or Warmers in the rental property for a couple of reasons. First being, they can be stolen easily. Secondly, the oils can be knocked over and make a big mess. Thirdly, you want something that doesn’t have to be turned off, and each time a resident comes to the house. Plug-ins are automatic. No-fuss, no muss.

Very Important. Make sure all your scents are the same from your deodorizer, plug in’s and solution on your carpet. We found citrus after leasing thousands of properties to be the silver bullet.

Don’t be Oscar, the Grouch

Just like you wouldn’t buy a car that smelled like smoke, a resident doesn’t want to move into a stinky home. Put a little bit of money into the home to remove any odors left behind by the previous resident or even yourself. Here at Management One, we practice what we just preached to you. We evaluate the carpet and walls. We advise the landlords of the best course of action, whether it’s painting walls or ripping out the carpet. We use the Deodorizer machines in every vacant home along with Air Fresheners and carpet solutions. By implementing these methods, we rent properties quickly, and with quality residents, because we all buy on emotions and smell is a compelling emotion, after all, I married the guy who smelled tremendous and is now my husband. Residents that see the landlord values the home and in turn take care of the house as well.

By mgt1stg|2019-10-18T07:34:47-07:00October 18, 2019|Maintenance|Comments Off

The 10 Most Common Rental Property Repairs

Throughout the year, the ten most common rental property repairs tend to slide in order of importance and severity. However, these ten items pretty much are always there, lurking, waiting for a weekend at 3 AM to fail. Yep, I said it, lurking. Sooner or later they will pop up, yelling that they require attention, like a stubborn 2-year-old.

As a property inspector, I receive approximately 20 work orders a day, think about that, that’s about 400ish work orders a month, and Management One has been in business for over 30 years that’s close to 150,000 work orders. So, the information we are about to cover comes from “hands-on” knowledge not just some numbers thrown together by a guy sitting in an office crunching numbers.

The Overview List

This is an overview list of common rental property repairs, which gives way to a much more detailed list below. These items tend to shift throughout the year with the weather. The major exception to this is plumbing. Plumbing is a year-round challenge.

However, the importance of these items also depends, primarily, on the age of the property. For example, the roof is relatively unimportant until it starts leaking, and in most cases, this is not until it is 25, 30 years old, if even then.

The list below is in order, based on a list of 250 items we have had repair calls for recently. These account for percentage values, and in the list below, by number, not really by dollar amount. I’ll break down the “how’s and whys.”

Miscellaneous (includes smoke detectors, doorknobs, blinds, etc.): 28%
Fences and Gates: 10%
Sprinkler systems: 8%
Plumbing: 7%
Electrical: 6%
Heating/HVAC: 5%
Pest Control: 4%
Landscaping (trees and such): 4%
Garage Doors and Openers: 3%
Appliances: 3%
Roofing: 2%

Taking A Closer Look at Common Rental Property Repairs

First Place is…

The single most common repair involves plumbing. Hands down, this is an item that just keeps on giving. Yes, I’m being facetious. And yes, I realize that the Plumbing category is at 27% versus 28% for miscellaneous, but plumbing stands alone in sheer volume.

The average plumbing repair runs about $149. This, of course, fluctuates. For example, if there were a vast influx of water heater replacements, that skews the numbers, to be sure. In my sample date, there was a mix of repairs, including a couple of water heater replacements. Also if the property is worth $900,000 the faucet you replace is going to be higher in replacing like for like than a property valued at $300,000

2nd place is…

Miscellaneous. You may think that it is too inclusive, but it really isn’t. There are so many items taken out of general repairs, as seen below, that these genuinely are miscellaneous items. Smoke detectors, window screens, doorknobs, blinds, these all figure in. For this reason, if we have multiple items, we try to get them all done with a single contractor
The average miscellaneous invoice runs about $225, and usually, includes two or three items per invoice. By repairing multiple items during one trip to the home, allows us to save you money by avoiding multiple trip charges.

The Bronze goes to…

Fences and gates. Where we are in Southern California, there are a lot of wood fences, and as such, wood gates. This is one of those items that, as they age, will need serious work done. Sunshine, heat, water, all take a toll on wood fencing. And, sadly, treated the wood or not, they will sufferer from wood rot and termite damage. Maybe not today or the first 8 to 10 years, but once they start going bad it’s only a matter of time, and one good wind, like a Santa Ana Wind, and these fences and gates are coming down.

A way to mitigate this is to inspect fences regularly and repair them as needed, for as little as possible, but sometimes that just isn’t enough. The average fence repair comes in at about $510. That may be a bit high because mixed in with that are two replacements. Although these replacements were smaller in scope than normal, they still add up!

A Sprinkling of Sprinklers

This being the very start of summer, following a heavy rain filled winter, it really comes as no surprise that we have a fair number of sprinkler repairs. As far as common rental property repairs, it is somewhat common for us, because we require our residents to keep their lawns looking sharp. Yet, after a lot of rain, there’s a percentage of residents who, to their horror, find that their timers no longer work, or that the timers have lost their settings after having been turned off (or unplugged).

Sprinklers themselves, we avoid repairing. This is an item that is written into the rental agreement that the resident is to replace sprinklers, however, lines, no way. I’d rather residents not be digging down and messing with the water lines.

Electrical Issues: A Shocker!

Okay, maybe not a shocker, the word just made a cuter header. Electrical issues comprise about 6% of calls for service that we receive. And you know what? We really do not want a resident trying to solve any electrical issues beyond resetting breakers and a tripped GFI. A GFI, by the way, is short for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. That’s those little Test and Reset buttons on some of a home’s outlets, usually in the garage, kitchen, and bathrooms.

Serious electrical issues, shorts, etc., no, those ought to always be handled only by certified professionals as it could void your warranty on your property insurance

Heating and HVAC

The heating and AC, or HVAC system, (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning), is very important and tends to be, by dollar amount, among the leaders. However, it falls to 5% in terms of the number of calls typically received. Yet, when the temps spike or plummet, you can bet the farm that residents will start calling!

Some of the things we do to stave off much of this are we service the HVAC systems during property vacancies. This involves changing the filters (the number one cause of causing an HVAC system to fail), checking the refrigerant levels, checking and replacing weak capacitors and such. This does a couple of things: it reduces the number common rental property repairs to the HVAC system by catching items before they become a problem, it alerts us to future issues which could become problems, and it ensures a new resident starts off on the right foot. Can you imagine moving into a new place and BOOM, no AC? And it’s 104 out? Or 33 degrees? That used to happen.

Pest Control is a Four Percenter

Really, that many? Yep. When we rehab a house, if there are signs of bugs or rodents, we immediately order up pest control. If you let the pests get out of control, it is that much harder to reign back in later. However, we also have it in our management agreements that the resident is entitled to one treatment a year at the property owner’s expense. Any more than that would be at the resident’s expense.

Why do we do that? For the same reason above: if the pests get out of control, the home could lose a resident, and the owner would still be on the hook for it, a much higher bill than treating as we go.

Landscaping

Besides wood rot and water leaks, do you know what else is unhealthy for a house? Trees and bushes are touching the roof and siding. Getting these trimmed back or removed altogether can save a property owner a whole lot of money, so this makes the list of common rental property repairs. Not only that, but regular maintenance will prevent other repairs from needing to be done. Torn screens from a bush? It happens. Broken window due to a tree branch? It happens.

However, there is much more to landscape maintenance than just this. As a matter of fact, this is a topic that can easily be its own article. So, here I’ll boil it down a lot.

We assign lawn care to properties once a resident gives notice. This ensures that the property will have excellent curb appeal from the moment it comes on the market. Mowing, edging, seeding, cleaning up, and setting the sprinklers and timer correctly all are included. If trees need trimming, this happens, but that’s not the only time.

Each month we check the front exteriors of the houses we manage. We can designate a tree trim at this time, while at the same time, we assess how the yards look. Annually we look at the whole property, in and out, while evaluating all the landscaping too. Many times, we’ll make suggestions on the landscaping. Such as removing bushes, adding rock, etc.

Garage Doors and Openers

3% of all calls for service involve garage doors or openers. Again, this is not reflected in dollar amounts per repair, as an opener replacement, or replacing a garage door, can be quite expensive. Catching these items in advance, by checking the opener’s action, listening for bad wheels in a sectional garage door, can save money in the long term. However, when bearing in mind that items such as rotary springs are designed with a life span (such as 10,000 cycles of opening and closing), there will be costs to repair when these items, eventually, fail.

Appliances

Appliances also come in at 3 per hundred service requests of common rental property repairs, and these usually involve the range or dishwasher. Of course, this number rises or falls, depending on the age of the items and properties themselves. Also, some property owners supply washers, dryers, refrigerators, however, we highly recommend not leaving these sorts of items in a rental home, because sooner or later, they will break.

Look at it this way: If the house did not come with it when it was built, don’t take on the additional liability by leaving it behind.

Roofing

The least frequent rental property repair is roofing, but, by and large, a roofing repair can set you back thousands! I have seen properties (before working with Management One) where the property as a whole is allowed to go to seed, and it starts many times with the roof.

You see, a property owner gets a dose of “My Roof Is Going To Cost What?!?” and, many times, that leads to a morose feeling about the property in general.

Don’t. Do. That! Tackle it now, because I can guarantee you that that same repair will be WAY more expensive later.

Summing it Up and Bringing it Home

The cost of upkeep on any given house, be in your primary residence, or a rental property, is important to keep in mind. Many times, it makes financial sense to defer some repairs for a short time. Other times vital repairs come up that need attention, right now. Knowing the difference is critical, however, we do urge you to maintain a separate bank account that that is funded by the rent intake, in whole, or in part, so when that AC replacement bill hits, you’re not stuck in a bind trying to come up with the funds needed to repair (or replace) it. A little foresight can make your life so much simpler.

How do you pay for all these repairs??

You have a couple of choices believe it or not. One if you’re like many people who own rental properties, you pay for repairs as they arise out of your personal checking account which presents a couple of challenges. First, you always feel like your rental property is robbing you of the personal things you want to do, and you will forget not to get the tax write and savings you have coming because it’s a hassle to find them.

Or you do what other owners of rental properties do. They open up a separate checking account for repairs, etc. that come with owning a rental property. As rents increase, you will find that your resident is paying for these repairs and rehab repairs when it’s vacant and at tax time all your documents are in place to receive the maximum Tax Savings. Click here to view the article on how to set it up and how it works….

smashed piggy bank with money on a table
By the way, what is the difference between a repair and an improvement? Check out this article on Apartments.com to find out how the government sees it.

professional woman consulting with a client

By mgt1stg|2026-04-07T08:56:12-07:00August 9, 2019|Maintenance, Property Ownership|0 Comments

Being Compliant vs. Non-Compliant with Lawn Care

Have you ever shopped for a new car at a dealership? What do you notice? All the cars are shiny; they sparkle in the sunlight. You get that giddy feeling inside; you know, the excitement that a kid feels when they can have something they have always wanted. You can’t wait to test drive “your” car and at that moment you “know” this is your car. You buy or lease that car, and you drive off.

You park your car far away from all the other cars in the parking lot, after all, you don’t want anyone to hit your beautiful new car. You wash your car on a weekly basis; you change the oil regularly, you take care of your car. Then life happens, you don’t have time to wash your car, or get the oil changed. Now you park your car far way just not to be embarrassed by your jalopy.

Now think about your home. More than likely when you rented your home, the grass was green, a beautifully painted front door and the property looked fresh, you “knew” that was your home. Then life happened, you don’t have time to mow the grass, the price of water went up, and your budget can’t afford that price increase. Now that beautiful green grass is looking more like an overgrown graveyard. And maybe you care because that is the place you call home and maybe you don’t because it’s not your “home,” the landlord owns it.

Who is BOB?

So, who is BOB? Well, BOB is an acronym for “Best on the Block.” As a property management company, we have seen a few of our residents that don’t maintain the property, specifically the landscaping. They don’t want to pay the large water bills or mess with mowing the lawn. On the flip side, we have also seen our fair share of you that take great pride in how your home looks inside and out, and we want to recognize those that do take care of the house positively. And thus, BOB was born.

Residents who win the BOB are recognized on our monthly newsletter, on our website, and receive a $25 Starbucks Gift Card! We reward them for taking care of the landscaping. Who doesn’t love free Coffee! Besides personal gratification of course. We want you to know that the owner of the property and Management One appreciate your efforts and love when you take care of the property.

How can you be the next BOB?

So glad you asked! Here are some tips:

Do not mess with the sprinkler settings. Why is it crucial that you do not adjust the timer? When you try and set it you might throw off the entire system which is most beneficial to maintaining a green lawn. Best times to water have been shown to be at 4 am and 10 pm. Most people think the best time to water is early in the morning or late in the evening. You never want to water during scorching temperatures to avoid frying the lawn. If you are trying to save money by adjusting the sprinklers, you are only hurting yourself in the long run. Have you ever heard of the saying, “cheap isn’t always good and good isn’t always cheap”?

Mark those words because they couldn’t be truer! You think you are saving some money by shutting off the sprinkler system, not really. Our Inspector personally tested shutting off the sprinklers to find out how much he could pocket, and he saved about $10.00. Not much of an impact on your wallet.

Mow and edge your grass as needed. If it looks like it needs a haircut then, more than likely it does.
Add Grass Seed and Fertilize twice a year. Much like changing the oil in your car, your yard runs better when it has fresh fuel. (Send in your receipt through our website and get reimbursed for the supplies. Must send in and reach us before 90 days)
Keep the weeds under control. The weeds should not be your primary source of plants in your garden.

Moral of the story, to be the next BOB, don’t shut off your sprinklers, mow and edge your yard, keep the weeds under control, and fertilize.

Do all these things, and you might end up as the next BOB of the month!

What happens if I don’t apply these tips?

Well, the short answer is, you will cost yourself more money than is worth. You will receive violation fees, and on top of that, you will have to restore the grass. What is this going to run you? A lot! Let me break it down for you.

$50 for the first violation
$100 2nd violation if you fail to act on the landscaping
$200 3rd violation if you still don’t act on restoring the landscaping.
Then a covenant for being in breach of contract gives you three days to correct or quit the matter. Which means legal action will be implemented to remedy the situation and no one needs that hassle, right?

Now, we are forced to collect the violation by deducting it from your rent, which means you owe rent, and failure to pay rent results in eviction. It is a mess, and we try at all costs to avoid going down this road. It isn’t fun, and our goal is to work together with you, so we avoid all of this, and you can then be one of our quality Residents for as long as possible.

What is next? Well, now you must buy supplies to restore your lawn. Here is the average cost of this:

Summer tall fescue is the route to go, but never “midget” tall fescue. Look closely to make sure you don’t miss the word “midget.” Grass will come up looking like needles, and it will never get thick. The total cost runs about $50.00.

In winter you want winter rye seed which will stay green in cold weather, whereas fescue will go dormant. The total of this will run you about $145 on average.

Include all the watering you will have to do. Now you just doubled the water usage.

So, in the long run, you can see it doesn’t benefit you trying to save a few bucks.

If you happen to have lawn service, and the vendor we have is not doing what they are supposed to, please notify us immediately so we can correct the issue before further damage occurs. If the Owner is providing their own vendor, we will give you the vendor’s phone number at lease signing so you can remain in contact with them. Again, if they are failing to show up as scheduled or breaking the sprinklers, please notify us immediately so we can contact the owner. If the lawn is your responsibility and you are having issues with the sprinklers, please inform us.

As you can see, there are many resolutions to maintaining the lawn, and no excuses are allowed. Again, we will always recognize the hard work that you put in, taking care of the lawn and the property entirely. We do appreciate your efforts and hope that we get the pleasure of mailing you out a BOB. Look out in the mail; you might be next!

By mgt1stg|2018-09-30T07:58:19-07:00September 30, 2018|Maintenance|Comments Off

Quality Contractors vs. Cheap Contractors

Considering a remodel on your kitchen, bathroom, or possibly renovating your investment property. Are you dreading the process of looking for a contractor or contractors to do the job?

Choosing a quality contractor can be a daunting task, but contrary to what many believe, finding one does not require a forbidden act of black magic, sacrificing small animals, nor a gazillion headaches. However, it can require diligence, patience, time and tenacity.

Why is that? And are there any quality contractors who are cheap? Are there cheap ones who are quality? Yes, yes there are, and, well, yes, but they are rare.

After spending the last several years in the “world of inspections” I have seen a thing or two when it comes to “cheap” contractors versus “quality” contractors. Let me share with you a few tips when hiring a contractor.

Diligence = Homework

Just like school, if you don’t do your homework, you’re far more likely to get bad results. This homework can involve calling former and present clients, asking your friends, looking on Yelp (that carries much less weight for me than, say, Google reviews) as well as websites like HomeAdvisor.com. On the latter, I recently had a stellar experience with Home Advisor. A couple clicks, and boom, the contractors were calling. But enough about me…

Patience and Tenacity = Take your Time, Dig Deep!

Don’t make rash decisions, do consider every contractor carefully. “Oh, this one sounds quality” really is not quality enough and is a disservice to you. Schedule, say, one a day for 3 to 5 days for your project, and have them all submit written reports, with pricing, and make them guarantee that price!

Also, lay out your project as exactly as you want it completed, leave nothing to chance. Better prepared, better results.

But I Like Cheap, Cheap, Cheap!

That’s all well and fine at times. The dollar menu at McDonald’s has some great items for cheap, but have you ever heard the saying “Quality isn’t cheap, and cheap isn’t quality”? That does not just apply to cars, appliances, and clothing. Nope. Cheap relates to contractors as well, that doesn’t mean, however, that pricey is better either. A Bugatti, at $2.5 million, will get you to the supermarket just as well as a Prius will. Sure, you’ll turn more heads in the Bugatti, but you’ll also have jealous people glaring at you, and, frankly, you’re running the risk of being robbed in the Bugatti. However, the Prius, as much as I dislike them, is a practical and efficient vehicle. Go with that.

Down to the Nitty Gritty

What’s the difference between a quality contractor and a cheap one? Well, price, of course. But let’s dig down some.

I have, in the course of my life, picked up a lot of seemingly random information on so many topics that sometimes I surprise myself. The other day a resident mentioned that her check engine light had come on in her car, and without missing a beat I was able to diagnose the issue in a couple of questions. Does that make me a mechanic?
Not! I’m a horrible mechanic! However, I have had and fixed, enough car issues over the years, and I have remembered all these issues so that I can, perhaps, avoid them in the future.

Recently an auto shop tried to sell me a ton of parts and services that I knew I did not need. “Your tie rods are bad.” No, they are not, I had them installed a year ago. What they said did not ring true.

A Quality Contractor…

Will tell you the upsides, and well as the downsides, of the job at hand.
Will permit you to talk to other customers.
Never asks for any money up front.
Is licensed and insured and will happily prove it if asked.
Will give you a written estimate and will stick to that estimate.
Includes material and labor costs in the estimate.
Makes quality on subpar work.

Anyone can tell you the upside of any project, but a pro tells you the whole thing, and usually gives you options, with prices.

If they have a lot of past satisfied customers, a quality contractor knows that is the best, and cheapest advertising, they can get.

There are so many horror stories, as I’m sure you have heard, of “Joe the Handyman,” (or even full-on contractors) require money up front, and then they vanish. My advice? Just Say No. If it is a crazy massive job that requires a lot of materials, then maybe, but charge it on a credit card so that you have fraud protection, AND request, in writing, the date the work will start, and finish. Also request a penalty in the contract that if they don’t complete your job by the date in the contract, the cost to do the job is reduced by $100 – $250 a day. If you have to take them to court, you have yourself covered.

Quality AND Cheap?

Some quality contractors do not gouge, but again, too cheap and you’ll get cheap results.
Here is a great example: I once sent a contractor out to a house to do a straightforward job. The job was to fill a hole with dirt where we removed a hot tub.

He brought bags of manure. Okay, it gets worse.

I just happened to pass by the day he was doing the work, and I saw the bags of manure in his truck. I use the same brand in my yard. It’s $1.09 a bag.

I called out, “Hey, you’re using manure? That will collapse and sink in overtime!”
He called back that no, it wouldn’t because he had a special way of installing it. I’m thinking he’s going to vibrate it with an asphalt vibratory plate compactor or something.

He put the bags, unopened, into the hole, and covered it with more manure.

The moral is, cheap usually get you the results you deserve.

The Bottomline

The reality is, you usually get what you pay for. For my money, I’d rather get a job done right, once, that wrong several times. However, bad things happen. A contractor can make errors, but here’s the bug juice: will they correct the mistake at their cost and do it within a week? Ask yourself that when you’re mulling over the contractors for your project. And ask them. In writing.

By mgt1stg|2018-08-15T07:29:50-07:00August 15, 2018|Maintenance, Property Ownership|0 Comments

How to Get a Home Move-In Ready: DIY vs Contractor vs Property Management

Do you have a rental property that you want to have move-in ready for your next renter? Or maybe you’re moving into a recently purchased house? Perhaps you’re selling a house, and you want it move-in ready. Any way you slice it, there’s work to be done, and it best be done quickly and done right the first time.

Do you attempt a DIY (Do It Yourself) project, or hire a contractor? If you’re with a quality property management company, they may have contractors, as Management One does, who can do the rehab for you, and have the property move-in ready quickly. Let’s look at the known aspects of this, as well as the not-so-well-known aspects.

A companion piece can also be found here: DIY Home Repairs vs Using Property Management Vendors

What is a Move-in Ready Home?

What does that mean? I have seen over time so many examples of what people think it means to have a house move-in ready, and it is almost never the same thing from one case to another. There are similarities between one home (and the eyes that check it over) and the next, however, the concept and expectations of the phrase “ready to move into” varies. In short, one person’s “sparkling clean” is rarely the next person’s version.

Yes, the floors are usually pretty clean, at first glance, but once you start really looking, into the corners, or at the grout, the baseboards, that’s where the differences start.

The appliances are usually pretty clean but lift the stovetop deck to access the stove’s under-burner area, and there is a strong likelihood that you will find crud here.

A House that is Move-in Ready Means…

Everything is clean.
Everything works.
Anything that needs paint has been painted.
Items that need replacing have been replaced.
The house can now be somebody’s home.

It Does Not Mean…

Just wiping down walls that need paint because the paint is expensive. Do you know what is expensive? A short-term resident is expensive. A dis-satisfied renter is expensive.
Bear in mind that once a renter begins picking apart a rehabbed home, they won’t stop, and every minor thing will become a major thing, if only in their minds.
Disregarding that stove that leaks gas, because, you know, it hasn’t exploded yet, so why to spend money on a stove, that’s expensive. NO, being sued into oblivion is expensive.
Leaving behind a filthy carpet, perhaps with holes in it because, you know, that’s expensive. No, having a home sit on the market for too long, now that is expensive. What is too long? 14 days from vacant borders on too long and a month ought to have a property owner nearly hyperventilating.

I’ve Been There

When my mother passed away, I had to rehab her house. This was not as a rental (although I did consider it) but for sale. The broker I hired told me time and again, hire someone to do the work. “It will cost money, but the work will be done right, and it will be done quickly.” He had me (shaking my head) at “Cost Money.”

I did the rehab myself, all the painting, repairs, everything except replacing the carpet. It took me two months to get the work done. It took longer than that to sell the house. If this were a rental rehab, I would have cost the estate maybe two months of rent, and then some.

Looking at the Real Cost of Having a Rental House Move-in Ready

Let’s take an average house size of 1700 square feet.

Flooring

There be a kitchen, about 200 square feet, and probably two bathrooms, maybe 150 square feet between them, that’s 350 square feet of hard flooring. By the way, if you put carpet in any bathroom, you’re doing yourself a disservice. One toilet overflow and you have a potential for mold growth, not to mention a foul-smelling area, and guaranteed expenses replacing it in the future.

Hard Flooring

Hard flooring can be vinyl or tile, be it ceramic or porcelain, all of which minimizes the potential for water damage. Have you ever laid any of these? If not, hire a pro. And never, ever lay one floor over another, such as new vinyl over old, or tile over vinyl. Take the time and expense to do it right!

Expect a total cost of vinyl flooring @350 square feet to come in at about $18 a square yard, or $700 in vinyl. Expect the cost to be between $5 and $6 a square foot in tile or roughly just under three times the cost of vinyl. What do you get for that three times cost? A floor that will last, and look good for many years longer than any other.

Carpeting and Hybrid

Leftover is the carpet if that is your choice of floor covering. If it can be cleaned, you’re looking at a cost of about $50 a room. If a DIY project, good luck with that. Renting a Rug Doctor machine will set you back about $30 a day, and depending on how much work is involved, you could easily be two days going over, and over, the flooring. What is your time worth to you?
Oh, and the professionals, do they arrive bearing Rug Doctors? No, they don’t.

However, to replace the carpet, expect a cost of about $1.80 to $3.00 a square foot or more, installed. That’s $16.20 to $27 per yard. The remaining 1350 square feet of this 1700 sq ft house will cost at least $2424, with removal, new padding, new carpet, and installation. Or you could change things up, keep the carpet in the bedrooms, and install laminate everywhere else but the baths and kitchen. That whole water thing again.

A 1700 sq ft house is likely a three bedroom so you can take about 488 square feet and carpet that for a little over $875. That leaves you 862 square feet to put laminate into. That is just under $5000 with the removal of the old flooring, and professional installation of an excellent quality (12mm) laminate flooring. Sure, you could buy a cheaper laminate, but it will probably cost you more in the long run.

Paint

A lot of people think they are good painters. They aren’t. I have even seen “professionals” goof up paint. It actually is harder than it looks. And have you priced paint? I remember when it was dirt cheap, but these days a gallon of semi-gloss can set you back $22 to $32 a gallon, and more.

Now you need the rollers, the brushes, the tarps, the painter’s tape, etc. Add this cost, then decide if you’re a good enough painter to justify the cost.

Odds are you’re like me, good enough that I’m pleased with the work, but never want to do that again. So once again, I ask, what is your time worth?

A skilled professional will charge you under $30 a wall, that’s time and materials. That 1700 sq ft house? Expect a professional to charge you less than $1350 to completely paint it, minus cabinets and ceilings.

Bric-a-Brac

The lesser items, the miscellaneous stuff.

Door stoppers
Closet rollers
Floor guides
Re-screening screens or replacing them
Toilet wax rings and flanges, re-building commodes.
Stripping caulk and re-caulking kitchens and bathrooms.
Properly installing towel bars.
Replacing light bulbs.

What is your plan for this? I do recommend planning this out to the letter, and crossing the items off your list as you go. Otherwise, it is guaranteed you’ll forget things. Did you know there are more than 3,000 items that make up a home?

Cleaning

Cleaning is the single largest tripping point, and the single most often cited item in preventing a rental from being move-in ready. As I said above, one person’s sparkling clean is another person’s “it’s okay,” or even, “are you kidding me?”, as in, not clean. In other words, it’s all relative.

That 1700 square foot house? Plan to spend about $500 to have it professionally cleaned. That does not in any way absolve you from having to check the cleaning, far from it. If the cleaning isn’t right, and complete, it isn’t move-in ready.

Story Time : Learning by Example

Here I need to tell you a couple of stories.

Story 1

Renter moved out, left the keys with a nationally franchised cleaning service that rhymes with Golly Shades. The renter left it all up to them for an average clean, it was pretty good, but was the home as clean as when the renter moved in? No, it wasn’t. The cleaning service had one definition of clean, but that was not a deep cleaning. Light bulbs and fixtures were dirty. Bath ceiling vent fans were dirty. Window runs were dirty. the renter did not follow up, and the cleaners did what they would basically do on their weekly service.
Cleaners rarely lookup. Ours do because we do.

Story 2

My daughter moved into a really nice rental house. The owner lives in Hawaii, and makes a deal with each successive renter: “Clean the house when you move out.” She called me up and asked me to come over to look for any obvious problems. I found just a couple of bulbs out, while the cleaning seemed pretty good. At first. The deeper I got into the house from the front door, the worse the cleaning got. Entry, great, living/dining, really good, kitchen, okay, hall, okay, bedrooms 1, 2, and 3, meh, bath 1, nope. Bath 2, really? Obviously, the prior folks ran out of steam, or time, or both.

Blinds, have you ever cleaned a whole house full to perfect? Windows, screens, have you ever cleaned those to perfectly clean? Even at your everyday house, it is a lot of work.

Wrapping it up…

Unless you’re a contractor who has done rehabs, and/or has a crew you can bring in, you just may find the prospect of doing a DIY rehab overwhelming. Getting a house move-in ready is a large challenge, and way more often than not I find DIY’ers struggling.

Example:
An average rehab is done by a professional in about 5 to 10 days. A DIY rehab often takes over a month, and I have seen two-month-long rehabs happen. That’s lost rents, lost opportunities to rent, and often the work will not be done very well. This leaves the new renter dubious about the quality of the rental, and for good reason: if the details were not attended to, the trivial things, what of the important things?

Most property management companies have rehab folks who do a bang-up job. At Management One, we work hard to hire great contractors, are committed to fixed pricing, get jobs done timely, and correctly. If you don’t want the headache of completing a rehab of your rental property then call us today.

By mgt1stg|2017-09-27T08:59:54-07:00September 27, 2017|Landlord Education, Maintenance|0 Comments

Top 3 Landscaping Companies in Riverside County, CA (Inland Empire)

To provide a landscaper or not to provide, that is the question! This is a question that I have been asked hundreds of times by landlords just like you over the last 10 years of being in property management.

Landscaping can be a nightmare to a lot of people. Most people don’t know when to fertilize, what fertilizer to use, how much water the yard needs, just to name a few… I for one love to take care of my lawn, but it can be overwhelming. Why not leave that up to the professionals? One less thing to worry about.

When you go on a vacation for a week or two, you will have no worries that your lawn is taken care of. The same idea applies to owning a rental property. After 31 years in property management and conducting thousands of monthly exterior inspections, we have seen most residents don’t really know the ends and outs of maintaining a yard. They don’t know when to fertilize, what fertilizer to use, how much water is needed and believe it or not, most don’t know how to program sprinkler timers.

Should you hire a landscaping company for your rental property?

Our best answer is, it really is up to you.

You must weigh out the pros and cons of providing a landscaper. Some residents LOVE taking care of the yard and will ask to take care of the yard even if a landscaper is provided, while others loathe yard work and would gladly pay a bit more in rent to ensure someone else maintains the yard.

Below I have laid out some positives and negatives that we have found over the years.

Positives of providing a landscaper:

Slightly more in rent. Residents are willing to pay a little more for them to not have the stress of taking care of the lawn.
You can be at ease knowing your lawn is taken care of by a professional, not your resident.
Most landscapers will fertilize twice a year, keeping the curb appeal up on your home.
Provides an extra set of “eyes” on the property, typically on a weekly basis. They will notify the property management company if there is an issue at the home.
It might reach out to different type a resident. The resident can think, “wow, this owner really cares about his home and will keep up on the maintenance of the home.”
If the resident is happy, you may get a long-term resident for your home.

Problems from not providing a landscaper:

We find from experience that there are a lot of residents that don’t take care of the lawn like they should. This leads to violations to the resident, and they get upset because of the fines that they may get.
Bushes are trimmed incorrectly or not all. Plants are not fertilized or maintained as most residents don’t know how to take care of them.
Sprinkler timers are not adjusted with the seasons thus the yard is either overwatered or underwatered.

Over the last 31 years, we have worked with many different gardening and landscaping companies. They are sometimes a diamond in the rough. Anybody can purchase a lawnmower, weed eater, and a couple of bags of fertilizer and call themselves a gardener, heck little Timmy down the street does it! However, finding someone that really knows about landscaping from what types of fertilizer works best when, to feed your roses bushes the right food, to when is the perfect time to trim that overgrown tree in the front yard can be a little tricky.

We developed a checklist when hiring contractors including landscapers. We personally drive by the properties serviced by these landscapers, we even call the homeowners during a reference check. This has proven the best way to “weed” out the good from the bad.

Below is a List of our Top Picks for Landscaping Companies in Inland Empire.

Zornes Landscaping

Sean Zornes is a one-man band and has been one of our gardeners for about eight years. He does a fabulous job on his lawns. Sean is accountable for all the work he does, and he takes pride in the work he does. Zornes landscaping has turned a lawn from nothing to a lawn that looks like it ought to be out on a golf course.

If you want timely service and a plush lawn, Sean is your guy. I’ have experience working with Sean since he has been with us; and every time I call him, he has no complaints and does what he says he is going to do.

He takes care of one of our commercial properties. The owner of the complex wanted a lot of work done. I called Sean, he met me the next day, we went over the plans, and it was done two days later. It was a big job to go for two days, but he did a fabulous job.

Sean currently doesn’t have a website, but here is the link to Yelp to see all of his business’ reviews https://www.yelp.com/biz/zornes-landscape-maintenance-riverside.

Associated Landscape

Dan Simmons is the owner of Associated Landscape. He has a couple of different teams that he sends out into the field. I have the pleasure of working with Dan for about three years. He covers our Corona and Riverside areas. Dan is another gardener that does a remarkable job. Associated Landscape gives great timely service. They really care and put a lot of pride into their work. They feel that is an image or a branding of their company. That is what we look for in our vendors. We want them to be accountable for the work they do. It is an image of us as a management company. We are currently trying to expand the route for Dan and Associated Landscape. At this current time, they don’t have a website. But vendors like this are hard to find. I am glad Dan is a part of our team.

DLT Landscape

DLT Landscape is owned and operated by Jaime DeLaTorre and his family. Jamie and his team have been in business for nearly thirty years in the Inland Empire. He has serviced Management One’s properties for fifteen years. Jamie and his team handle everything from tree trimming to designing the backyard of your dreams without breaking the bank account.

Jamie’s is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to keeping your lawn green year around to making sure your rose bushes look amazing at all times.

Weeding out the good and the bad

Over the years we have experienced the good and the bad when it comes to landscaping companies. Some companies really don’t know what it takes to make lawns look great. While others are at the top of the class when it comes to landscaping knowledge. Here at Management One, we take pride in hiring top-notch contractors knowing that they are an extension of our company. The contractors featured in this article have longevity with our company and take pride in their workmanship. They have proven their knowledge in taking care landscaping and providing great customer service.

So, if you are looking to rent out your home or just need a reference for a great landscaping company, call us Today!

By mgt1stg|2017-09-22T09:42:14-07:00September 22, 2017|Maintenance|Comments Off

Best Garage Door Companies in Riverside CA

It’s Monday morning, and you had a great long weekend off work. You hit your snooze button too many times, and you realize you are going to be late to work. You dash through your morning routine and grab your keys and your cell phone. You jump in your car and hit the garage remote to open the garage door. Suddenly you hear a loud noise, and you look in your review mirror and realize your garage door didn’t open.

Your Monday morning isn’t getting any better. You are in a panic and call your boss to tell them you are going to be late for work because you can’t get your car out. No need to worry, after servicing Riverside, California for over 30 years, we have the best garage door companies to recommend.

We know that it’s hard to choose the right garage door company, especially knowing you have to call your boss and let them know that you are going to be late due not getting your car out of the garage.

Let us take that frustration from you and send one of our vendors out, and you will not need to worry about the job getting done right.

Research, Reviews, Ratings

As a property management company or a homeowner, it is imperative to research out a contractor before having them perform work at your home. It is important to make sure any contractor doing work at your home is licensed, bonded and insured. Did you know that if a contractor is injured at your home, you could be held liable? That’s a whole other can of worms to talk about at a later date.

With access to the world wide web, you can research out garage door companies without much effort. A simple search of YELP Reviews, Google Reviews, BBB, Angie’s List for garage door companies in Riverside, California will provide you instant results. It pays to read the reviews and make sure you are getting the best customer service and pricing out there.

Below is a List of our Top Picks for Garage Door Companies in Riverside, CA

Pro Door

Pro Door is a family owned business, comprised of a husband and wife team. Mike and Ann have been servicing our company for over 11 years. This duo has been in business for 20+ years and serviced over 10,000 homes, apartment complexes and commercial properties. Their customer service is impeccable. Our tenants rave about their timeliness, follow-up, and their pricing. While you won’t find a website for them, they are someone you should call if you need your Garage Door repaired or replaced. They are a diamond in the rough. You can call Pro Door anytime, and they will get the job done for you. Pro Door does not advertise; they get all their work from referrals from other jobs they do.

Garage Doors of the 90’s

Garage Door of the 90’s is another great family-owned business. David and Selina opened their doors 25 years ago servicing the Riverside and the surrounding areas. Garage Door of the 90’s takes pride in providing top-notch customer service. They are always on time for the job, give excellent customer service, and their pricing is great. They set the standard high, and their timely service is like no other. Garage Door of the 90’s just celebrated two years as a preferred vendor for Management One.

Douglass Garage Door Service

Douglass Garage Door Service, services Corona, Riverside, Eastvale, and Norco. They service all types of garage doors from Amarr™ garage doors, LiftMaster™, Marantec™, garage door openers, and most major brands available. They are available 24/7a and are always ready to service your garage door needs.

Timely Service

You just took a half a day off work to make this appointment, only to find out the contractor is running late or didn’t show up at all. Whether you are a property manager, homeowner, or tenant, timely service is key to top-notch customer service. Both vendors are at the top of the field. With their timely response and taking care of their clients, I wouldn’t contact another company. These companies have over 50+ years between them.

What Makes a Preferred Vendor

Our contractors are an extension of our team. They are our eyes and ears in the field every day. They are entering homes with families in them, and we need to trust that they will treat everyone with respect. In addition, they must provide on-time service, competitive pricing and be licensed, bonded, and insured. We take the time to verify every contractor, put them through a probationary period, follow up on every service call, and more.

We conduct surveys on every work order that is issued from our office. We want to make sure that all work is completed and done correctly. The surveys are monitored by management and corporate to make sure all concerns are addressed. We take vendors and maintenance very seriously.

Our repairs costs include labor and parts in the onset price list for our vendors. This helps you, as an owner, know you are getting a fair price, and you won’t get ripped off. We review our price list yearly to keep it competitive with the market. We take a test “subject” house and have contractors provide estimates, this helps us determine fair pricing. We also check prices at Home Depot, Lowes, and Garage Door distribution companies. We make sure we are fully educated to ensure we are making are protecting your pocketbook.

How to Find An Honest Contractor: Tips for Choosing the Best

By mgt1stg|2026-04-07T09:17:49-07:00July 7, 2017|Maintenance|Comments Off

Best Plumbing Companies in Riverside, CA

You pull into your driveway after a nice evening out with the family, open the garage door and are greeted with a wall of water. First thought is, “what the heck is going on here?” Your second thought is, “All my Christmas decorations are ruined.”

Then panic ensues: where is all this water coming from, how do I shut it off, what about all my stuff? Who am I going to call at this hour?

And finally, I wonder how much this is going to cost me? Who are the best plumbing companies in Riverside, CA?

Whether you are a homeowner, a landlord, or a property manager, this situation is never fun and certainly not what you want to deal with on a Friday night.

Now, begins the real work: finding an honest contractor that will fix the repair without charging you an arm and a leg.

It is always a struggle to find a good reliable vendor or contractor. As a homeowner, you want to make sure you are getting good quality work at a fair price.

Over the last 8 years, I have spent countless hours on the computer, at Home Depot, and at Lowes in search for that contractor that you can send a work-order to and know that you are going to get great customer service, workmanship, and for a fair and honest price.

Do your Homework

Did you know that if a contractor is injured at your home, you could be held liable? That’s a whole other can of worms to talk about at a later date.

With access to the world wide web, you can research out plumbing companies in your local area without much effort. A simple search of Yelp Reviews, Google Reviews, Better Business Bureau, and Angie’s List for plumbing companies in Riverside California will provide you instant results. It pays to read the reviews and make sure you are getting the best customer service and pricing out there.

Choosing the Best Plumbing Companies

We know that it is hard to choose the right plumbing company, especially, when you are facing a wall of water coming from your garage at 7 pm on a Friday night.

Panic causes us to make rash decisions, and it might be a huge mistake.

Let us save you some time and frustration….we have compiled a list of our top picks of Plumbing companies servicing Riverside, CA.

While our list is not exhaustive, it does include vetted plumbing companies. Companies that have worked with Management One and our tenants. Companies that are licensed, bonded, insured and work with integrity.

Below is a List of our Top Picks for Plumbing Companies in Riverside, CA

Honest John Plumbing

Honest John Plumbing is a family-owned business. Zach Hayes and his team have been servicing Riverside, California since 1997.

You have probably seen their amazing trucks driving around town, I mean, who can miss the flying toilet man. Zach and his team can tackle anything from a clogged main line to a full bathroom remodel. It is not common to find a plumbing contractor that is also a general contractor. The benefit to this is that if there’s any drywall damage caused by that flood in your garage, they can fix that too. You don’t need a second contractor to come out and clean up after plumber and the water damage.

Zach Hayes and his team just celebrated 8 years as part of service with Management One. They are truly a company that has integrity and great customer service.

If you need a plumber that will service you ASAP, Honest Johns has always been there for us. We can call them, and they will give us same day service. Their customer service and workmanship are one of a kind. Zak is great will follow up and let us know everything that needs to get the job done. When we get an estimate back, there is so much detailed information and photos, that all your questions are answered. They limit the guesswork that some plumbers do. This is an A+ company, and you may not even know who they are.

HRP Plumbing

I found Erick and his team on www.homeadvisor.com, and we were lucky to find him. HRP Plumbing has been servicing Riverside and the surrounding area for 10 years. Erick has great customer service and takes pride in his workmanship. He responds quickly to our repair requests. He cleans up after his jobs are completed. He offers fair pricing. HRP Plumbing just celebrated 2 years of service with Management One.

Lenox

Lenox Plumbing is a family owned business with 2 generations of plumbers working side-by-side. They have serviced Moreno Valley and the surrounding area for nearly 15 years.

Lenox was referred by one of our current owners. Lenox Plumbing can service anything from a gas line to water replacement. Chris and his team bring excellent customer service and integrity to the table. They respond quickly to our service request. Chris takes great pride in his workmanship. They are a licensed, bonded and insured company.

Final Thoughts

We don’t always hit a home run with our picks; sometimes we hit a foul ball with our contractors. With over 32 years of property management experience, we have created a system and checklist to find great contractors. Management One has taken things a step further and set up a pre-set price list for our contractors to follow. We negotiate trip charges, service call fees, and repair costs. We survey all tenants that have a repair completed to ensure they are satisfied with their repair and the contractor.

By mgt1stg|2026-04-07T09:18:24-07:00June 6, 2017|Maintenance|Comments Off

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Talk to Us About Your Property Needs

Talk to Us About Your Property Needs

Still uncertain about property management? Give us a call to see if we can help.

Still uncertain about property management? Give us a call to see if we can help.

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