Are you looking to rent from a private individual landlord?
While there might be some advantages to renting from a private landlord, such as potentially a more personal relationship , one should also understand potential disadvantages, including maintenance delays, lack of emergency service number (if you have for example no A/C in the middle of hot summer night), and delays for specialty services such as HVAC and Pest Control.
Let’s explore each of these a bit further.
1. Maintenance Delays
A private landlord is unlikely to run a rental property full time, which means there might be maintenance and repair delays. On the contrary, property managers, by definition, run apartments full time, which means that they likely have access to full-time on-site maintenance teams.
2. No Emergency Number
The fact that a private individual landlord is unlikely to manage apartments full time means that he or she may not have an emergency phone number that you can call if something goes wrong in the middle of the night.
3. Less Process Oriented During Tenant Turnover
Good property management companies know the devil is in the detail. They will offer things like lock changes between tenants. They will also ensure the apartment is completely cleaned and maintained before the new tenant moves in, which private landlords may or may not choose to do on their own.
4. Lack of Amenities
Private landlords are usually not able to provide the same amenities that property managers can at large apartment complexes. Some amenities that are popular with tenants include exercise rooms, swimming pools, community gardens, and walking paths.
5. Lack of Adequate Grounds Keeping
Many property management companies offer features like snow removal and landscaping, which can save you the trouble of having to do the work yourself. Private landlords are unlikely to offer these additional services, costing you time and money.
6. No Official Vendor Partners = Slower Service
A property management company likely has at least 5 different types of vendor specialists including pest control, painters, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, concrete, and more. When something goes wrong that requires one of these experts, they are just a phone call away for the property management company, and they usually prioritize their larger partners.
If your private individual landlord has to call them, they could take a while to get back and schedule, not to mention costly.
Some potential advantages to renting from a private individual landlord include a closer relationship with the landlord (could be good or bad).
Figure out what is important to you when looking for an apartment. Hopefully, this guide gave you a nice start. Make the decision that is best for you and your family.
