Owner FAQs

General

• Who is Pam T Property Management?

  Pam T Property Management is a locally owned residential property manager located in Savannah, Georgia. Pam T Property Management is owned by Savannah Property Management Co. LLC

• Why should I choose Pam T Property Management?

  Pam T Property Management has been named the “Best Property Management Company” in Savannah for the last few years. We have many points of difference from other management companies.

  To see our differences, click here

• How long have you managed investment property:

  The company was founded in 1987.

• Is Pam T Property Management licensed?

  Yes. Pam T Property Management is licensed with the state of Georgia.

• How many units do you manage currently:

  We manage approximately 350 units.

• Do you manage Associations (HOAs and COAs)?

  No. We are completely focused on resident property management.

• Do you do real estate sales?

  No. We are completely focused on resident property management.

• Do you personally own rental properties?

  Yes.

Property Management Agreement

• What services do you provide as part of your Property Management Agreement?

  We are a full-service property management company. All items involved in managing property are handled by us, including leasing, maintenance and rent collection. This provides a “hands off” experience for the owner and can turn investment property into truly passive income.

• What is the startup fee?

  The start up fee is to establish an account with PTPM and covers the initial inspection and the admin work to set up the account in our system.

• What is your fee structure?

  We strive to be transparent and up-front about our fees. Fees (other than the monthly management fee, procurement fee, and lease renewal fee) are charged only for out-of-the-ordinary events, and these fees are described in the PMA Contract. The procurement fee and monthly management fee will not be charged in the same month.

• Can I view my financial statements online?

  Yes. We set up a property owner portal for each client. You can log in to your property owner portal anytime 24/7 and see real-time information about your property including rent coming in, expenses going out, many different financial statements, as well as scanned copies (PDFs) of all bills and invoices.

• Can you provide me with a rent estimate?

  Yes. Please inquire and we can work up a rent estimate.

• Will you inspect properties I am considering buying?

  No, that is not a service we provide.

• How often do you inspect my property?

  We perform annual inspections of each unit checking detectors, appliances, tenant responsibilities and liabilities, and the general welfare of the property. PTPM can do more inspections if desired for a fee.

• What are the steps to have PTPM manage my property?

  1. Our staff will meet with you at the property, if possible, complete a walk through and review our services.
  2. A property management agreement will be created and signed.
  3. Property Intake and Owner intake forms will be sent for digital completion.
  4. Reserve funds will be collected, along with the property keys.
  5. PTPM will list your property for rent (if vacant), or notify current tenants of the change in management.

• Do I need insurance on the property?

  Yes, a rental dwelling policy (RDP) or commercial policy with a minimum of $500,000 of liability coverage is required. PTPM must be an additional insured on the policy (most insurers do not charge extra for this).

• How long is your property management agreement for?

  2 year minimum, with longer terms required for larger property portfolios.

• Do you have an early termination fee?

  Yes, we do. The amount varies.

• Can you pay bills for me that are related to the property?

  Yes, with the exception of Association dues, mortgage, insurance, and tax payments. These can be processed on your behalf for an additional fee.

• Do you work with Section 8?

  Yes, but leave this up to the owner.

• Can personal items be left on the property?

  Property management companies (PMs) typically do not take responsibility for any personal property left at the property. If you do leave personal property at the property, please accept that it may become damaged or go missing.

Leasing

• How do you screen potential residents and what is your application procedure?

  We use a time-tested custom rental application and TransUnion background check service. As part of this screening, we evaluate an applicant’s credit score, criminal history, rental history including evictions, sex-offender search, job history and income, as well as other proprietary factors. We require proof of income in the form of pay stubs or bank statements. We also contact their current and previous landlord. The goal is always to secure tenants that pay the rent on time and don’t damage the property.

• What is your marketing strategy to locate tenants?

  We syndicate our rental listings to the most effective online locations including Zillow, Hotpads and Trulia. In addition, we post them for rent on our own website. We also market aggressively through social media channels such as Instagram and Twitter.

  We also avoid listing other places such as Craigslist.

• How do you qualify prospective tenants?

  Tenants must meet the following criteria:

  1. Minimum gross monthly household income of 2.5 times the rent.
  2. No violent criminal convictions.
  3. No sex-offender record.
  4. No evictions in the past 5 years.
  5. No serious & recurring credit problems.

  The five main areas we look at in terms of rental screening include:

  1. Credit history – Does the applicant have a history of making on-time payments?
  2. Criminal history – We want to make sure we’re not placing someone who will be a danger to other people in the community or those in the same building.
  3. Eviction history – Someone who has recently been evicted is likely not going to be a good resident.
  4. Rental history – We talk to the applicant’s current and previous landlord and get confirmation that they were indeed a good tenant, paid their rent on time, didn’t leave with a big balance, or damage the property in any significant way.

  Income – We verify income by looking at pay stubs and bank statements. To qualify for a specific home, the applicant needs to show combined monthly household income of at least 2.5 times the cost of rent.

• What is the average turn-around between the departure of one tenant and the placement of another?

  Once the unit is rent-ready, we tell our clients to anticipate 4-6 weeks to rent out a property. It may take longer or shorter than this depending on the pricing used and market conditions. Our average is 4.5 weeks.

• Do you guarantee the time it will take to rent out my property?

  We do not. Caution should be taken if a property management company guarantees lease signing in a set period of time. PTPM sets high standards for our tenants and competitive rents at our properties. We will never excessively lower rents or select unqualified tenants to speed up the rental process.

• Do you charge the monthly fee when my property is empty, or only when it is rented?

  No. We strive to align our goals with the owners. PTPM only charges a fee when the property is rented.

• Are tenants responsible for utility bills at the property?

  We strive to have the tenants pay all utility bills where possible.

• How much is the security deposit?

  An amount equal to one- or two-month’s rent, depending on credit.

• Do you leave on utilities between tenants?

  We strive to have all property utilities on while a unit is vacant. This aids in repair work and prospective tenant showings, as well as protecting the property.

• In your experience, what percentage of rentals involve eviction, litigation, or some other non-routine confrontation with the tenant?

  Approximately 5% of rentals escalate to eviction, litigation, or other non-routine status.

• Do you routinely relay tenant complaints to the owner, or must the number or severity of complaints meet a certain threshold? If the latter, please describe your procedure.

  Tenant issues are dealt with internally by our expert staff and rarely involve owner intervention.

Maintenance

• Do you charge a fee on repairs?

  We do not. Any utility bills PTPM pays will incur a 10% administrative fee.

• Do you require select vendors to be used?

  We are happy to use vendors & contractors of your choice. If the vendors are outside of our approved list, owner will be charged an inspection fee ($99) to inspect the work.

• Is a maintenance reserve account required?

  Yes, a minimum reserve amount of $500 per unit is required for most properties. The reserve is tied to the maintenance approval limit.

• What is your average response time to urgent problems (e.g. the kitchen is flooding)?

  All emergencies are handled immediately.

• What is your average response time to routine problems (e.g. the closet door jumped the track)?

  Routine repairs are taken care of in order of importance. On average repairs are completed in one to three weeks.

• How do you handle it when a tenant reports a problem at 3:00 AM on Sunday morning, or on Christmas day?

  After-hours maintenance calls are handled by a 24-hour professional call center. Emergency maintenance is addressed 24 hours a day. Owners are notified during normal business.

• How often do you check and replace smoke detectors?

  Detectors (including smoke and carbon monoxide, if gas is present in the unit) are checked and (replaced as needed) on approximately a quarterly basis, as part of our quarterly inspection process. Detectors are required to be replaced if they are at least 10 years old.

• Who keeps the security deposit?

  Work required between tenants may include:

  • Normal wear and tear. Security deposits cannot be retained for normal wear and tear but this wear and tear must be restored for successful leasing.
  • Tenant damage. These are things that security deposits can be retained to fully or partially cover. Sometimes the security deposit will not be sufficient to cover damage.
  • Pre-existing or new functionality issues. Things such as door stops, sticking doors, inoperable windows, loose door handles. PMs and tenants are very good at finding these sorts of things and we find it very important to remedy them for best long term retention of tenants. Sometimes the cost of repairing functionality issues is a shock to owners as so many issues had gone un-repaired for many years. Sometimes owners have learned to live with quirks or issues inside a unit, however tenants are not willing to do so.

Areas Served

• What areas do you provide property management services for?

  Whether you own a single-family home, multi-family units, or a large rental portfolio, we proudly serve a wide range of neighborhoods and cities within the Savannah, Georgia metro area. Our property management expertise extends to the following locations:

  • Savannah
  • Pooler
  • Port Wentworth
  • Bloomingdale
  • Richmond Hill
  • Wilmington Island
  • Whitemarsh Island
  • Windsor Forest
  • Isle of Hope
  • Springfield
  • Coffee Bluff