Best property management companies in Bangalore – how do you select one?

Property Management is at a nascent stage in India. However, in a short span of time, various business models in this space have spring up, some of them catering to families, and many more catering to bachelors:

• Family/Group Property Management in apartments and villas
  • LANDLORD TYPE: Absentee owners, NRIs, senior citizens, local professionals
  • TENANT TYPE: professional families, companies, groups of professional bachelors
  • PROS: emphasis on property maintenance, tenant verification, larger security deposit, low tenant churn rate/high occupancy
  • CONS: lower rent than single housing
• Singles Property Management in apartments and villas
  • LANDLORD TYPE: local professionals  and absentee owners
  • TENANT TYPE: single bachelors and students
  • PROS: higher rent
  • CONS: higher charges, out of pocket expense to furnish the property, high tenant churn, less security deposit, property damage is a high risk, partial rent when partially occupied
• Community/Single housing in multi-unit buildings
  • LANDLORD TYPE: developers and builders who own multi-unit housing
  • TENANT TYPE: single bachelors and students
  • PROS: full service with hospitality solution
  • CONS: only limited to owners of multi-unit properties.

There are various players in each category above. For the landlord the services they cover include:

• Inventory Management & Maintenance: This includes documenting all the fittings, fixtures and any damages of the same, as well handling, supervising and coordinating any maintenance work in the property on behalf of the owner.  
• Tenant Management: This includes finding, verifying, selecting, coordinating, replacing the tenants. The service provider will usually do an inspection mid-year to ensure all is well maintained, even if there are no tenant complaints.
• Financial Management: This includes collecting the rent on time, making any payments to vendors/service providers/association/utilities, as required and ensuring the landlord receives the rent on time. Most professional companies will give a detailed report to the owner, even if all deductions are pre-approved.

How do you choose the right property management company for you?
While most of the property and tenant management companies provide the same type of service, there can be remarkable difference in the delivery. Here are some guidelines to help you make a choice:  

1. Do you like to have personalized service? If yes, please check if they have an account manager. Try contacting the account manager a few times before you sign up, so you are sure that they are accessible. If this is not a concern for you and you don’t mind being connected to a call center, then no problem.
2. Is the upkeep and safety of your property more important or only the rent? If the former is more important, then check for a service provider that places strong emphasis on tenant verification. Also, ask what the remedy is in case the tenant damages the property.
3. Is the deposit amount collected important to you as a safeguard? If so, ask for what multiple of rent is collected as deposit?
4. Do you want to have control over tenant selection and payments? If so, please ask if the service provider has a liability to check with the owner and get their approval before placing a tenant. Also, does the service provider have a liability to check with the owner before making even minor payments to any vendors, and have they documented this?  
5. Is it important that there are no surprises? Then, please ensure that all charges and terms are transparent and laid-out upfront. Please read the fine lines in their documentation and see if there are any grey areas, and if so clarify the same in writing.
6. Aligned Objectives & Charges – Always choose a firm that has the same objectives as you do – which is to keep your property safe, well-maintained, with maximum occupancy and rent. So, if a company charges you every time a tenant vacates to replace the tenant, then their objectives are not aligned with yours. If a service provider charges you upfront before you start earning any rental income, then also the objectives are not aligned. However, if they charge you only as you earn, then the objectives are much better aligned.  
7. Credibility of the service provider and the team – It is also important to know the credibility of the service provider and the team behind the same. If the company is a private limited company (most trusted), then you can check for the details on the MCA21 government website. You can also check for online reviews and ask for referrals of other clients.