Nic Meyer and Lisa Taylor recently presented to Ozzie Jurock’s Real Estate Action Group, for their September Meeting.

Talking about the pitfalls to avoid in renting suites and condos, Nic and Lisa went over all the reasons why hiring a professional property management company is the smartest way to go.

The talk is here in 4 parts, along with slides from the presentation.

Video Part 1, Introduction from Ozzie Jurock. Why hire a professional management company? What does a management company do for you as an owner/investor?

Video Part 2, Pitfalls and tenant issues and how to avoid them

Video Part 3, More on pitfalls and tenant issues and how to avoid them

Video Part 4, Tenants to look out for, the value of working with experienced professional management, advice for owners.

View the slides that accompanied the talk

At Downtown Suites we contact emergency restoration as soon as any such incident happens. We understand that with leaks there can be so much humidity with conventional carpets it is necessary to move all furniture out asap, before the moisture gets to the wood and warps it. Even in a concrete building the dampness can cause mould from the absorption of moisture. However, an immediate call to a restoration company can avoid much of the water damage.

Insurance is essential, for tenants and landlords, as well as strata corporations. Recently, insurance has become complicated, as some companies have a cap on the deductable per suite, rather than per occurrence. In the per occurrence scenario, imagine 15 claims at $5000 deductable per claim. This is where the owner’s insurance comes in, paying the deductable if it is a building claim.

Usually, the tenant’s alternate place to stay isn’t covered by that insurance, which is one reason why the tenant would need to have his own. In normal circumstances, the deductable would be the owner’s responsibility, rather than the tenant’s.

Of course, liability is a big issue, and as property managers we help both owners and tenants understand which areas are their responsibilities in such circumstances.

(This is an important Evergreen Resource article, revisited from our archives.)

Tenant screening is the first step in good property management. We thought this recent article was worth repeating.

It seems a building water leak caused a contactor to need to get into several strata lots to mop up the leak. When he went to one unit, the door wasn’t answered, so a locksmith was called. When the contractor stepped inside, he found that the unit had been converted to a fully equipped meth lab!

Police and fire departments arrived, the building had to be evacuated, the HAZMAT team dismantled the lab, and the city advised that the entire strata lot had to be deconstructed and rebuilt. The lot could no longer be occupied, and the owner would be facing a cost est. of $100,000 for a rebuild. Not to mention fines from the strata corporation and other legal consequences. The non-resident owner was shocked. He knew little about his tenant, other than that he paid cash for rent and security deposit.

This cautionary tale reinforces the reality that non-resident owners need to do more than simply collect monthly rent.

At Downtown Suites we handle all aspects of non-resident rental and keep informed on all regulations and updates. For example, there was a very significant court case (Supreme Court of BC) involving insurance claims, which was summarized as follows; “If an occupant of a strata lot is responsible for the cause of an incident and the insurance of the strata corporation has a deductible, the owner is responsible for paying the deductible.” This would mean the non-resident owner, if the tenant is responsible.

Our services involve the screening of tenants, including background credit checks, and we have many balances in place to ensure the good maintenance of your investment.

www.downtownsuites.com

The overseas investor finds Vancouver to be particularly attractive to purchase an investment property for many reasons. Vancouver is hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics which will bring many visitors to our lovely city as well  many foreigners think about the possibility of owning property here. No one has a crystal ball to predict property prices in Vancouver but we know that after Expo 86 we had a huge influx of overseas investors which drove up prices. We getting many inquires every week in regards to the 2010 Olympics from the overseas investors. Many investors are seriously thinking about owning property in Vancouver prior to 2010. This is an excellent idea, as it will enable you to own property in one of the most beautiful and desirable cities to live in the world.

At Downtown Suites we can manage your property for you prior while you reside overseas and if you  visit during the Olympics you can choose to take possession of your suite.  Many individuals are thinking about retirment in Vancouver within the next 10 years or so. It is an idea that many worldly individuals dream about and it is a great idea for many reasons. Our economy is very strong and the price points in Vancouver are still considered reasonable compared to other world-class cities.

For those who have never visited our city, Vancouver is located along the West Coast of British Columbia and many of our downtown neighbourhoods are surrounded by water located along the seawall. As well we have beautiful breathtaking mountain views from many of the downtown locations. We have so many attractive neighbourhoods which  are desirable including; Downtown, Westend, Yaletown, Kitsilano, and West Side.

At Downtown Suites we can assist you in all aspects of purchasing  the perfect investment property.  We will help you to narrow down your search parameters including price point, square footage, location, amenities, view and other factors that may be important to you. In fact we can assist you with the sales transaction remotely. If you are a qualified purchaser we assist with all of the documentation and paper work by email and fax.

Once we have found the perfect property for you we will make the purchase as simple as possible for you from beginning to end. We take a personal interest in our clients and will look out for your interests  from negotiating the right price point for you, presenting the offer, and ultimatley  closing the deal. We have a team of professionals with whom we work closely including Mortgage Specialists, Lawyers, Notaries, and Home Inspectors.

We are a fully licensed Property Management and Real Estate company that will professionally  manage your property for you in all aspects including: advertising and finding a qualified tenant, collecting rents, managing tenants, maintenance issues which may arise. Please refer to our website for additional information on our Property Management and Real Estate Services www. downtownsuites.com.

I am a  members of the Vancouver Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver and Specialize in the Downtown Vancouver Real Estate Market. Specializing in working with overseas investors and tenant occupied properties. If you have any questions in regards to the acquisition or sale of an investment property in the Vancouver area or have any questions please do not hesistate to contact me directly.

Victoria Farrell

Sales Associate

Downtown Suites Ltd
www.downtownsuites.com
victoria@downtownsuties.com

I’ve given a 25-slide PowerPoint presentation to audiences several times, and thought it would be good to share it on this blog. It deals with some aspects of property management, including common pitfalls and how we avoid them. Please note that the bad tenant examples included here were from a suite we had inherited, which did not go through our rigorous tenant selection process. You can see all the slides here:

Here’s a tale: In one building, someone on the seventh floor put kitty litter in the toilet. As you can imagine, the toilet solidified like concrete, and basically just blew up. The leak traveled vertically down through connected suites. On the second floor, our tenant lost many valuables, including designer clothes. In this instance we settled with her as nicely as possible and within a half-hour had a restoration company in there.
At Downtown Suites we contact emergency restoration as soon as any such incident happens. We understand that with leaks there can be so much humidity with conventional carpets it is necessary to move all furniture out asap, before the moisture gets to the wood and warps it. Even in a concrete building the dampness can cause mould from the absorption of moisture. However, an immediate call to a restoration company can avoid much of the water damage.
Insurance is essential, for tenants and landlords, as well as strata corporations. Recently, insurance has become complicated, as some companies have a cap on the deductable per suite, rather than per occurrence. In the per occurrence scenario, imagine 15 claims at $5000 deductable per claim. This is where the owner’s insurance comes in, paying the deductable if it is a building claim. Usually, the tenant’s alternate place to stay isn’t covered by that insurance, which is one reason why the tenant would need to have his own. In normal circumstances, the deductable would be the owner’s responsibility, rather than the tenant’s. Of course, liability is a big issue, and as property managers we help both owners and tenants understand which areas are their responsibilities in such circumstances.

Here’s a tip for strata owners: Check the connector pipes to your suites, such as under the vanities and the connector to the toilet.

Often the builder doesn’t put in the best quality at the time the development is built. Replacement pipes at best quality offer preventative maintenance, and could cost as little as $5.
Let’s say a pipe breaks in an ensuite bathroom while your tenant is out. This burst can happen due to less-than-best quality connector pipes, even in a high-end luxury suite in a modern concrete high-rise. The entire suite’s hardwood flooring has to be taken out. All the baseboards rapidly absorb the water, puff up and have to be replaced. The water leaches into the drywall, so a skirt of 12″ all around has to be replaced. Then there are the doorframes (which could now warp), not to mention soaked carpets, potentially warping wood furniture, and anything else on the floor open to water damage. Everything must be removed as quickly as possible to avoid further moisture damage, and the suite is unlivable while this restoration takes place.
This is not a hypothetical scenario. It actually happened to one of our clients. We were able to help by finding alternate accommodation for the tenant while the restoration work was going on. It’s interesting to note that when I went to the check on the suite, three insurance companies were involved: the building’s insurance, the owner’s insurance and the tenant’s insurance.