Frequently Asked Questions for owner-clients

We list and manage residential properties including single-family homes, condos, and townhouses.  The areas we serve include Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Fairfax County, Prince William County, Stafford County, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, King George County, and Caroline County, 

No. Many property management companies only provide limited services for discounted pricing; some firms are designed for owners who like to be very involved in the day-to-day management of their homes; and some firms (like Harbour Property Mangement) are full service firms designed to give owner-clients a full service, stress-free, hands-off experience, where we handle ALL aspects of the property management cycle with professionalism and expertise. Property management in Virginia is legally complex, and you want a professional overseeing what may be your most valuable asset. As you consider partnering with a property management company, but sure to ask them the following questions:

• Is each individual property manager licensed? (All Harbour Property Management agents are fully licensed and go through a detailed internal and ongoing training process.)
• What if I want to cancel my service with you? (Most property management companies have long term contracts with expensive termination fees. Harbour Property Management will allow you to cancel with no termination fees or penalties; because we believe that we should earn your business every day and you should have the flexibility to leave if you want to.)
• What "other" fees could you charge me? (Many property management companies have hidden fees for things like scheduling repairs, eviction services, dealing with HOAs, or property inspections. Harbour Property Management does not charge for any of those services; they are part of our full service management service.) 

We are very experienced in taking on the management of a property with a current tenant in place. We often take over management in situations where a tenant may be delinquent in rent or the owners are having difficulty managing a current tenant. When this happens, we perform a full lease/document audit and work with the tenant to ensure that the they either conform to the terms of the lease and bring their rent current, or when necessary, vacate the property. We have also been brought in to solve issues with other management situations.

We love those who serve, but value all of our owner-clients in all career fields.  For that reason, our management fees are the same for all of our valued owner-clients.

We use a combination of market research, comparable property analysis, and our extensive experience in the local real estate market to determine the listing price of a property. When we meet with you, we bring you a printed copy of the comparable properties in your area so we can discuss the pricing with you.

 No. We believe we should only be paid if you get paid. Our management fee is a percentage of the actual rent we collect. If we do not collect any rent, or if the property is vacant, you don’t pay us anything. 

Yes. We will collect a $500 escrow reserve from you. This is your money and it will be deposited into our rental bank account as the reserve for your property. We will potentially use these funds to pay for expenses that may arise between the time we send you your rental income, and the time we collect the rent from the tenant the following month. We will always maintain this reserve as long as we manage your property. When we stop managing your property it will be returned to you. 

We strongly discourage the use of home warranty companies as they often provide a delayed, and less than exceptional experience and outcome.