Property Management Blog

Why We Charge a Maintenance Coordination Fee (And Why It Saves You Money)

As a property owner, you want to understand every line item on your statement. That's smart business. One question we hear occasionally is about our 10% maintenance coordination fee, and it's worth explaining not just what it is, but why it exists and...

The Virginia Smoke Alarm Gray Area: Why § 55.1-1220 Creates Legal Confusion

In Part 1, this series covered why professional property managers install bedroom smoke alarms regardless of legal requirements: insurance carriers expect them, fire safety science proves they work, and the cost-benefit analysis is obvious.Part 2 addresses the question that actua...

Why Every Bedroom Needs a Smoke Alarm: The Insurance and Liability Reality

When a tenant is injured in a residential fire, insurance adjusters do not start by asking whether a property technically complied with the minimum code requirements in effect decades ago.They ask three different questions:Did the property meet current industry standards?What wou...

Understanding Wear And Tear Vs Damage In Virginia Rentals

Most security-deposit disputes do not start with obvious destruction. They start when an owner and a resident label the same condition differently, especially after a multi-year lease when ordinary aging shows up everywhere at once.Across the Richmond metro, “normal” ...

What's Next? Your Journey as a Professionally Managed Investor

You didn't plan to become a landlord. Maybe you relocated for work, inherited a property, or couldn't sell in a difficult market. But you made a smart early decision: you hired a property manager to handle the day-to-day operations.Now you're wondering—what happ...

Smarter Eco-Friendly Upgrades Richmond Landlords Can Count On

Rental properties in Richmond face a unique blend of challenges. Seasonal humidity, heavy rainfall, and hot summers can accelerate wear on HVAC systems, plumbing, and building materials. For property owners, this often translates into mounting maintenance bills and recurring tena...

Cash Flow Confidence in Richmond: The Rental Budget Playbook

Richmond’s rental scene blends historic charm with steady demand from universities, hospitals, and a growing tech and logistics footprint. Units near The Fan, Church Hill, and Scott’s Addition often lease quickly, yet speed alone does not guarantee profit. One AC fail...

Why Deferred Maintenance Costs Owners More Than Vacancies

Deferred maintenance rarely shows up as one dramatic defect. It shows up as a pattern of unfinished cues that quietly weaken leasing outcomes, increase negotiation pressure, and push repairs into premium-timeline decisions.A rental stays profitable when preventable issues do not ...

Top 7 Costly Mistakes Virginia Rental Property Owners Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Managing a rental property in Richmond and the surrounding counties can be financially rewarding, but even experienced rental property owners routinely fall into costly traps. These mistakes rarely stem from carelessness. More often, they result from informal processes, outdated ...

Proactive Property Maintenance: Protecting Assets, Preserving Income, and Preventing Vacancies

Proactive maintenance is not “doing more work.” It is the part of a well-run maintenance system that keeps small problems from becoming expensive ones.Most costly rental outcomes start quietly. A slow leak that seems manageable. A gutter that “can wait.” ...