PROPERTY MANAGEMENT BLOG

As a landlord, the worst thing you can do is trust every tenant who applies for a rental. While screening may seem tedious, it can mean the difference between honest tenants and the ones who trash your property and/or refuse to pay rent on time. However, even a thorough screening process may not be able to highlight troublesome boarders. ...

I am proud to announce that we at Patton Properties have reached a big milestone in the history of the company.  We are celebrating our 40th anniversary this year!I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you, owners, tenants, and employees, all current and past for being a part of our success and for makin...

Remain indoors in the morning when the pollen levels are highest. Sunny, windy days can be especially bothersome for allergy sufferers. If you have a pollen allergy and you must work outdoors, you can wear tight fitting face masks that are designed to filter pollen out of the air before it reaches your nasal passages.Keep your lawn mowed ...

Always leave your heat on. It’s safest to place your heat on low, no less than 50 degrees, when away from the home or on vacation.Open cabinet doors under sink to keep pipes warm.FREEZING TEMPS: While sleeping, allow ALL faucets in your home to drip at a rate of 1 drip every 2-3 seconds. This keeps water flowing through your pipes t...

Change your smoke alarm batteries yearly. Do not disconnect them. Replace any smoke alarms that malfunction immediately. These small, inexpensive contraptions can save your life.Check your fire extinguisher and make sure it stays in date. An expired fire extinguisher may not work in your time of need.Keep your vegetation and shrubbery cut...

The intensity of hurricanes in the last few years has made city officials act quicker when a disastrous storm is coming our way.  As citizens, it is our responsibility to protect our lives as much as it is our families and our homes.  In protecting our properties, we are also contributing to protecting those around us.  By ...

If you use an old appliance or overload a circuit in your home, you can lose power to all or part of your home. In these instances, it’s important to know how to locate and reset breakers to get your power running again.Your breakers are typically kept in a breaker box, which may be located in the basement, the garage, or outside. W...

HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning.  These 3 reminders will help your unit work to its fullest potential without overloading your electric bill:Change your air filter every 30 days.  Purchase the 30 day filters that cost no more than $1.50.  DO NOT buy the 90 day filters.  T...

Have you ever been in a house fire, hopefully not.  Tragedy can strike at any moment in our lives.  A forgotten lit candle, maybe you walked away from the stove for just a moment.  A split second can sometimes be the difference in a life and death situation.  Make sure your smoke alarms have good batteries, and that yo...

Get third-party verification of the applicant’s income to make sure they can afford the monthly payments. Our company uses a 4:1 ratio, meaning the tenant needs to bring home at least four times what the monthly rent costs. Often, the price point of a property is a kind of screening tool itself. An $1,800 rental is going to attract ...