Professional Property Management Services

Cape Coral

Lehigh Acres

Port Charlotte

Punta Gorda

Ft Myers

North Port

Most companies don’t discuss this as part of their service, but to us, it’s one of the most important. Switching car insurance, mortgage companies, or even babysitters is time consuming and stressful. We’re people too, and we get it. The easier, the better. That’s why we handle the whole thing for you, you don’t even have to call your current company.

Here’s a general breakdown of how we handle the switch to Douglas:

Switching from Another Company

We do the following:

• Contact other company and notify of cancellation (with your written letter/email copied)
• Physically pick up keys, copy of the lease, and all necessary paperwork they have
• Oversee security deposit transfer to our accounts
• Contact current tenant to notify of management company change
• Provide tenant with logins to our software for easy rent payment
• Do an Immediate inspection of property to see condition, email you pictures and reports
• Get you situated with our software and owner portal login

The point is you shouldn’t have to do anything, after all, it’s why you picked to work with us.

*If your property is vacant when you make the switch, we will do our inspection to ensure it is rent ready, then begin the full process of management and tenant procurement.

Switching from Self-Managing

• Collect keys, security deposit, copy of the lease, and any relative information to the property
• Contact tenants and inform them of their new management company
• Schedule inspection for us to be familiar with condition of property
• Get you situated with our software and owner portal login

*If your property is vacant when you make the switch, we will do our inspection to ensure it is rent ready, then begin the full process of management and tenant procurement.

The main takeaway is this: we have designed this process to make it as stress free as possible. We don’t want you worrying about anything, and to simply feel good about your decision to switch. All it takes is for you to tell us you’re ready to jump on board (it’s sort of a pun, considering our logo is a ship) and we take care of everything.

Proper advertisement for a rental property is extremely important. Every day your property sits vacant, the more money you’re losing, and we don’t like that.

99% of the properties we rent are done so via online inquiries. The days of calling off a rental sign are pretty far and gone (although it seldomly still happens), but people simply jump on google, or their favorite national rental finder website and go about their searches. That is why it’s so important for us to play ball with these big websites and get your properties on them.

Rather than just say “we advertise on a bunch of websites”, let us take a moment to explain how it actually works from an insider’s view.

There’s three main ways your property is put up for advertisement:

1. Multiple Listing Service (MLS)
   If you’re unfamiliar, this is a service for realtors only, and lists all property for rent or sale. When your property is input, all other realtors can see this and gather all the information they need for their clients. The problem with the MLS is potential renters don’t have access to it, so only those working with a rental agent would be able to see your property. It’s only a piece of the puzzle.
2. Third Party Data Pushers
   Sounds fancy, but these companies are incredibly useful to property management companies that are looking to get their properties rented quickly. They allow us to enter your property info, and they syndicate it out to all the big rental websites, such as Trulia, Hotpads, Zillow, and about 100 others. It’s a greater financial cost to us, but it’s the only way to get properties rented quickly and efficiently.
3. Qualified Tenant Lists
   This is our own in-house list of tenants we collect in a period of time of those folks who are pre-qualified, but we don’t have a property to fit their needs. This way, when one of our properties comes up for rent, or you give us yours to manage, we already have people ready to go.
4. Craigslist
   Typically this method is not needed, as the rental market continues to be so strong, items 1 and 2 are sufficient at finding a renter in an average of 10 days. Sites like Craigslist tend to attract a lower quality renter, and is full of scams. We will use this in a last ditch effort to move a property that is sitting for a longer period of time.

On average, we receive 50 rental inquiries per day for only 5-6 properties we will have available at a time. This allows us to handpick quality tenants for your property, and do it very, very quickly.

Ok, seriously, this is the most important part of property management. There are many pieces to the puzzle regarding management, but this is certainly one of the big ones. It’s a very easy place to screw up as a property manager, so for over 30 years, we figured out how to make this one 99% foolproof.

Before looking at how we screen tenants, it’s important to note this: we don’t allow our sales agents to do the approvals like a lot of other fly by night companies. Why let a commission based employee decide who goes into your property? We only allow salaried employees to make these decisions, so there is no conflict of interest. This is extremely important.

Here’s the scoop

• Tenant applications are processed online only after they have viewed the property. Renting a property sight-unseen is a big no no!
• Our industry leading software does nationwide background checks
• Credit, sex offender, criminal, felony checks included
• Income and employment verification via proof of income
• We require prospective tenants make 3x the monthly rent
• Contact previous landlords/management companies for verification of tenant’s rental payment history, condition of property when vacated
• You can be as involved in this process, or as un-involved as you would like. We will always give our recommendations on giving a thumbs up or down.

Using this process, our eviction rate for properties managed averages at .4%, meaning it’s under 3 per year with nearly a thousand properties managed. In the ultra rare case you needed to evict, you can find out how we handle it all for you within the “Evictions” drop down.

One of the most difficult elements of being a Landlord is knowing how your property is being treated, and making sure there’s proper security deposit funds to cover repairs at the end of the tenancy.

Over the years, we’ve got this process down to a science, so much so, we’ve never lost a security deposit dispute in court.

Here’s how it works:

1. When a property is in “rent ready” mode, and on the market, we fill out a thorough inspection report accompanied with a plethora of pictures so we know the exact condition of the property before a tenant moves in.
2. Once a tenant is placed, we advise them to take pictures of any problem areas and make note of it so they are not wrongfully charged for something they didn’t do.
3. At 10 months, we conduct an inspection to ensure the property is being properly maintained and taken care of, and confirm or deny if the tenants are worthy of renewal. We fill out a report that is sent to you along with pictures, so you can see the condition of the property rather than just read it on a report.
4. Upon the tenant vacating, we use the same type of report used a year prior (move-in inspection) and conduct a move out inspection, and of course, take many pictures.
5. We compare the move in to the move out inspection to determine what damages were caused by tenants. Most common are not having carpets professionally cleaned (which they are required to do per our lease), not deep cleaning the house, or leaving behind personal items.
6. Any items on the report we deem the tenant’s responsibility are deducted from their security deposits. The monetary amount deducted is based off estimates from vendors on what it would cost to repair.

This process has proven to be the most effective and allows our clients to rest easy knowing we play a fair game in making sure damages are properly deducted, so their property can turn quickly and rent again.

Security deposit amounts are typically set $100 more than the rental amount, but we can customize this for any property owner’s preference. Just be careful not to have us set it too high, as requiring more money out of pocket for potential renters makes it more difficult to rent.

As detailed under the “Management Fees” drop down on this page, the Douglas Additional Inspection Package includes 2 additional inspections conducted on the 3rd and 7th month in addition to the 3 that are already conducted. These inspections are complete with a report, pictures, and we will 7 day notice the tenants for any violations. More information can be found under the “Management Fees” tab.

The biggest gripe we hear with new clients is how their old management company handled maintenance issues so irresponsibly. It’s quite clear this is the part of property management that is typically the most poorly run, and where property owners get ripped off the most. For your education and to help you understand why we do things the way we do (we’re always trying to help people understand things from the inside), here’s some easy ways you can be ripped off without you knowing with maintenance. Companies can:

• Have vendors do work, but create their own invoices that have markups you could never see
• Say things are broken, like a $5,000 A/C replacement, when they’re really working just fine, and pocket the money (yes, we’ve seen this happen many times)
• Use their own in house handymen who are unlicensed and uneducated in the field of work, pay them $10 an hour and charge you $50 an hour

Sadly, we see this stuff happen quite a bit, and it’s horrific to watch landlords be taken such advantage off. That’s why we’re set up differently and transparently.

We have two full time maintenance personnel in each of our offices who coordinate all repairs between owner, tenant, and vendor, hence their title “Maintenance Coordinator.” Each member has a background in construction/handy work so they know what to look for. Here is what they do:

• Get several bids on larger ticket jobs so property owners can pick the best price
• Require written permission from you before any work is done. All too often we hear “my property manager did work without even asking me”
• Send you pictures of broken items before they are fixed so you know you’re paying for something that is actually broken
• Have developed great relationships with trustworthy vendors who put Douglas work first.
• Demand a “Douglas Discount” is given to all our property owners that is not available to the general public
• Use detailed reports for move in, renewal, and move out inspections along with high quality photos so you always know the condition of your property
• Monitor a 24/7 after hours phones for emergencies. This is for fires, flood, no water, no A/C, or plumbing issues. If the property or inhabitants are in danger, and we are unable to contact you, we will work on your behalf and send an emergency vendor. The most typical is for flooding.
• Can collect money for repairs (if the cost is greater than what’s in your account with us) via your owner portal so repairs can get started ASAP

The big takeaway with our maintenance department is you’ll always be notified of repairs before we do them, and they are able to get the best pricing in town thanks to our local reputation of giving large volumes of work, and paying our vendors quickly. The savings are always passed directly to you.

We’ve partnered with one of the top management software companies that allows us to provide the best possible service in the industry to our clients. Here’s the scoop:

• Tenants and Owners are able to access account anytime, anywhere
• Allows tenants to pay rent online using debit, credit, or bank information. This is important because the convenience factor means timely and predictable rent payments
• Owners can check their accounts, see pending maintenance work orders, and statements
• Live chat with our staff to answer your questions quickly
• If you need to submit money for repairs, you can do so via your portal rather than waiting for a check to be mailed, so repairs can be started faster

Having proper software makes your life, and ours, much easier. It allows our offices to run like a well oiled machine, and have everyone “on the same page” all the time.

The good news is, you shouldn’t even worry about this. Not surprisingly, this is the most asked question we get, which tells us landlords are always expecting the worst, and are plagued with past management nightmares.

With nearly a thousand properties managed, our eviction rate is under .4% per year, meaning it’s only a handful between all the cities we manage. In the rare case an eviction occurs, we handle the entire thing for you, and will represent you in court. Many times, we hear new clients telling us stories of traveling to Florida just to handle an eviction and incur all the expenses with it.

Here’s the scoop:

• We handle all aspects of the eviction for you
• The cost is around $450, and not a dollar is profit for us
• Our partnered law firm handles and advises on all legal aspects
• We meet the sheriff’s department at the property, and conduct a full inspection with pictures

It’s unfortunate to hear from so many new clients how their old companies were so inconsistent in disbursing their rent checks. To us, it’s unacceptable.

That’s why we’ve devised a system that guarantees you’re paid on or before the 15th of the month when your tenant pays on time. This is attributed to our software and ability to clear checks quickly and efficiently.

Here’s the scoop:

• You’ll receive your rent on or before the 15th of the month
• We ACH disbursements directly to your account so there’s no waiting for a check to be mailed
• If you prefer mailed checks instead, we cater to that need as well
• We make sure all rent checks are cleared and the money is in our accounts before it’s sent to you, so you don’t have to deal with bad checks

It looks like a lot of info here, but look, we’re about transparency. We want you to be crystal clear on what we get paid, and why.

When people shop management only based on price, and pick the cheapest, you’re guaranteed to be frustrated with the service. With that being said, let’s get to it.

First off, we don’t charge you anything unless your property is rented. If you’re not making money, we shouldn’t be either. Our fees are structured based on several factors: amount of properties you have, their location, and their quality (how much we can rent it for). The fees in this industry are pretty standard for what management companies charge for, and they’re pretty straight forward:

• A monthly management fee
• A tenant placement, or “Acquisition Fee”
• A renewal fee (only when tenants renew)
• A maintenance coordination fee

This is it, no hidden fees. Some companies charge a super cheap management fee, but charge for every other little thing they do in an a la carte fashion.

What are the actual fees?

Monthly Management: a standard 10% of the monthly rent. This fee is reduced as property owners give us additional units to manage.

Tenant placement/Acquisition: ranges from a half to a full month’s rent. We use a grading system that looks at the property’s location and rental amount to determine this. The idea is if you have a really high end rental, let’s say it brings in $2,000 a month, charging a full month’s rent would be unfair. The opposite holds true for lower end rentals.

Maintenance coordination: this is a fee that is charged as a percentage of the invoice for work done on the property. Although it is a fee, it does have benefits for you as a property owner. You’ll have access to our curated vendor base with some of the best professionals in the business they’re in. Most of the time, these vendors provide their fee at a lower rate than the general public would get, simply as a function of the amount of work we give them. This translates to lower costs for larger repair items like A/C or water heater replacements as well as nitty gritty repairs with some of our trusted handymen for smaller jobs.

Renewal: it’s important to note this is only charged when a tenant renews. When a tenant is first placed, we charge the acquisition fee. At the end of their lease, if they decide to renew and stay, we charge a renewal fee. Again, this varies, just like the acquisition fee does. It depends on location and rental prices, but just know it’s almost always less expensive than the acquisition.

Douglas’ Additional Inspection Package

As of mid 2017, we’ve introduced an additional service that we simply cannot recommend enough to anyone looking to get into the ultimate preventative maintenance program. The Additional Inspection Package includes everything discussed on this page, but has a key addition that makes it worth any landlord’s while.

In addition to the 3 inspections we offer (explained under the Inspections, Security Deposits, and Reports drop down), this package grants an additional 2 inspections that are conducted on the 3rd and 7th month of tenancy. This is extremely important in the sense that your tenants are informed your property is under this program, so they know we will be there every other month checking on the property. Don’t you agree they might treat the property a bit differently? It’s designed to help eliminate high turnover costs from unruly tenants who aren’t treating the property as they should.

One of the biggest issues is tenants not changing A/C filters even though we send reminders, put it in the lease, and have signs on all our office doors. Arguably one of the biggest pluses of this service is our inspector taking the time to check the A/C filter to prevent a costly repair. Tenants will be given a 7 day notice to rectify the issue.

This preventative maintenance plan comes at a greater cost to us considering the additional personnel required to schedule, inspect, and send reports and pictures, so we translate that cost for a low price of $129 a year. We simply withhold $64.50 on the 2 months the inspections are done.