I heard about Red Umbrella Management by word of mouth. I reached out to them and the owner, Are, came out to view the property. He was extremely knowledgeable about rental law and building codes and gave me advice on the things that needed fixing if I hoped to attract high quality tenants. That, plus their competitive rates, are what sold me on trying them out (I did contact a few other management firms, but they proved more expensive and no one was willing to come see the house until I was ready to actually put it on the market).
After engaging their services, Red Umbrella found a tenant and dealt with all the paperwork. Although finding a tenant took several months because the house became available after the peak of the rental season, working with Red Umbrella was completely collaborative and I did not feel pressured into accepting the very first applicants even though Red Umbrella doesn't get paid until a renter is signed. Since then, I have been most pleased with their management. I will attempt to let the following data points speak for themselves:
1) The basement is subject to flooding if the drain outside the basement door is not kept free of debris. Because the house is an older house, the drain is not a modern standard size and they don't make drain covers that fit it anymore. Sure enough, after the tenants had been in the house a few months, the basement flooded. Are and his wife Liezel sprung into action and took care of everything. Their contractors cost less than I expected, which was comforting in the midst of this stressful situation. But here is the best part: after the water damage had been dealt with, Are contacted us to brainstorm ways to prevent this from happening again. He conducted his own research and suggested the purchase of digital water detectors to alert the tenants immediately on their smartphones if water started getting into the house, and he volunteered to design a new drain cover and "print it out" on his personal 3D printer. I say again, he designed and created a custom drain cover!
2) Red Umbrella conducts regular inspections and provides us with a comprehensive report including photos and comments on what needs attention. The report is extremely detailed and includes the entire property.
3) Red Umbrella provides us with an online portal where we can view our monthly statements, annual reports, and tax information.
4) You decide how much involvement you want in the management of your property. I prefer to be involved a little bit so as to have some sense of what is going on with the house. For example, we needed to replace the dryer, but I personally prefer to do my own research and select new appliances. I coordinated the delivery and install date with Red Umbrella, and they in turn with the tenant, and the entire process was seamless and painless.
At the end of the day, if you are a homeowner, you will value the care, oversight, and expertise Red Umbrella will exercise over your most valuable asset, and if you are a renter, you will be very pleased with their responsiveness to your needs. read more