Professional Property Management
Are you looking for a Property Manager or Property Management Company in the Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Yulee or North Jacksonville area to manage an existing rental home or an investment property you own or are about to purchase? Below you will find answers to some common questions regarding our property management services. These are questions you should ask any Property Manager you are interviewing. If you have questions not answered below please feel free to contact at 904-261-0604.
What are the benefits of using a professional property manager in Nassau or Duval Counties?
Utilizing the services of a Professional Property Management Company in the Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Yulee or North Jacksonville area relieves you from the burden of unexpected and untimely tenant and repair issues. It also provides you with a tested and true vendor team (via your property manager) to handle repairs and maintenance issues at your home. Having a Property Manager handling the details of managing your rental home allows you to focus your time and talents on other matters instead of worrying about your Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Yulee or North Jacksonville area rental property.
How long have you been managing real estate in Nassau and Duval Counties?
Dee Chaplin, one of the principle owners of Chaplin Williams Rentals has been managing real estate for other for over 30 years. In 2004 Mrs. Chaplin and her business partner Hugh Williams separated their real estate and rental businesses creating Chaplin Williams Rentals as a company solely devoted to property management services throughout Nassau County and Northern Duval County. Today Chaplin Williams Rentals team of 6 professionals is lead by Brian Woolard, General Manager, and he continues the principles of solid Professional Property Management past to him by Mrs. Chaplin and Mr. Williams.
Do you belong to any professional organizations?
Brian Woolard, General Manager of Chaplin Williams Rentals belongs to the National Association of Residential Property Managers as well as the Northeast Florida Association of Residential Property Managers.
How big is your property management company?
There are 6 of us . . .
Brian Woolard, General Manager
Brad Holland, Property Manager
Lee Richardson, Senior Leasing Agent
Alan Clack, Leasing Agent
Sharon Randolph, Accounting Specialist
Ernie Chaplin, Customer Service Representative
In selecting a property management company in the Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Yulee or North Jacksonville area, you will find companies of various sizes. The advantage to a “small organization”, like ours, is that you have a small team of professionals that always knows every detail of your property.
What is your style in regards to managing property?
We provide you with a turnkey service where we completely manage your property and keep you updated with all the details. We strive to make the process renting your home and simple on you as possible. You’ll receive regular updates on your property and well as detailed accounting of all funds. You’ll also hear about any maintenance that needs to be performed before it happens . . . with the exception of emergency situations or critical after hours repairs.
Under your turnkey system of property management, how informed then will I be about what’s going on with my property?
Our general rule of thumb is this; if something has happened, or is about to happen, that will disrupt your ordinary monthly cash proceeds by more than $250, we will let you know about it.
An example would be that we receive a 30-day notice from your tenant, and therefore a turnover, along with related expenses, is pending and we want you to be informed and prepared for it.
Another example would be that your A/C unit has failed during the middle of a hot summer; we’ve determined that the 12 year old compressor needs replacing and have initiated the work to replace it. We’ll call to let you know what has happened and the expected financial impact on the following month’s statement.
What type of rental properties do you manage in the Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Yulee or North Jacksonville areas?
We manage residential single family homes, duplexes, town homes and condominiums that are in good to excellent condition. We manage safe, well maintained homes that attract good, quality renters.
In which areas do you offer property management services?
In Nassau County we provide property management services to Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Callahan and Yulee. In Duval County we service the North Jacksonville area along 9A and 295 from Fort Caroline to the Airport.
How do you determine the rent value of my home when it needs to be rented?
Each time your home comes up for rent, we will perform a market analysis to determine how much homes similar to yours have been renting for recently. Once we determine a starting value, we add or subtract based on the time of year, competition from other available rental near yours, the condition of the property (older vs. newer carpet, age of appliances, floor plan, etc.), and other relevant market factors.
As a general rule, we believe it’s a good idea to price your rental property at or slightly below market value and get it rented quickly. Vacancy is your worst enemy and we work hard to prevent excess vacancy loss.
For example, a home with a market rent of $1,195, if placed on the market for a more optimistic $1,250, only has to remain vacant about 2 weeks longer than it otherwise would have to completely erase the additional $660/yr. that the $1,250 would have achieved.
How much security Deposit will you require from new tenants?
We collect and hold in escrow a minimum one full month of rent. If a prospective tenant fails one of our many different criteria he or she may post more security to compensate. If such even happens you as the owner will be notified and able to accept or reject the tenants application.
Will you allow tenants to have pets in our property?
Only if you allow the tenant too and they pay a nonrefundable pet fee of $275 per pet which is pasted directly to you in full.
Will you allow smoking in our rental property?
No. Every property we manage is a non-smoking home and we clearly define our No Smoking policy in the contract with your tenants.
How will prospective tenants be screened and qualified by your property management company?
We require tenants to provide at least two years of good verifiable rental history (or proof of home ownership), good credit, criminal history and verifiable income at least 3 times the monthly rent.
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Rental History
We call the applicant’s current/previous landlords and ask about the applicant’s payment history, whether there were bounced checks, late payments, unauthorized roommates, pets, noise, damage, etc. If the former landlord is a private home owner (instead of an apartment manager), we pull the County tax record to verify that the person listed as the landlord is in fact the owner of the former rental property.
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Employment Verification
We fax an employment verification form to employers, and ask the applicant for a recent check stub. Income must be at least three times the monthly rent to qualify.
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Criminal Background, Eviction and Terrorist Database Search
We perform a Criminal Background check on each applicant as well as an Eviction History search and Federal Terrorist Database search.
Most good applicants will sail through the screening process and be approved. Otherwise, the screening process may reveal “red flags” which we look into further. Commonly, an applicant may qualify based on income and rental history, but have poor credit. In some instances, if we think the applicant is a reasonable risk, we will offer them approval with additional security deposit.
Do you use a well written lease agreement that protects me and my property?
Yes. We use the most recently updated Florida Association of Realtors lease agreement plus addendums create with decades of experience on property management.
How strictly do you enforce the lease agreement after the tenant moves in?
We enforce the lease very strictly, including late fees, pet policy, unauthorized occupants, vehicle limits, HOA Rules, lease term, and all other terms and conditions of the lease agreement. If we become aware of a lease violation, the tenant promptly receives a violation notice and is required to cure the violation to avoid further action.
How does Chaplin Williams Rentals handle repair requests from tenants?
All non-emergency repair requests are reported to us in writing, as required in the lease agreement. We provide tenants a convenient online form to submit repair requests. We strive to respond to and complete most ordinary repair requests within 1 to 3 business days.
How much of my money do you hold in reserve for repairs?
$300 is held in your account at all times, to be used if needed to pay for a repair after your rent proceeds have been dispersed.
Will you use my Home Warranty Company?
No. We won’t use any Warranty Company on any repair issues at your home under any circumstance.
Why won’t you use my Home Warranty Company?
Because doing so takes the repair and maintenance outside our direct control. They simply are not compatible with the level of service we demand of our vendors, and they don’t make the cut to be a member of our vendor team.
Why are repairs so important?
Nothing affects the reputation of a Chaplin Williams Rentals more than the manner in which repairs are handled. Tenants judge us by almost no other measure. It therefore makes little sense to entrust vendors we don’t know, whom we have no relationship with or control over, with the reputation of our company and the relationship with your tenant. Instead, when repairs are needed, we will send our trusted vendors with whom established relationships and excellent communication exists, and they will provide the quality service we require in a professional and timely manner.
Will you use my brother-in-law to perform repairs, he’s fairly handy?
No, we only use our qualified vendors. We are not able for liability reasons to use your friends or relatives to perform work on your home unless they are in fact licensed vendors.
Will you use my favorite Plumber, A/C Company, etc. each time a repair is needed?
We will be happy to invite them to join our vendor list, if they are qualified and insured, but we can’t promise that a specific vendor will be dispatched to your home for certain repairs.
What bills will you take care of getting paid for me, related to my rental property?
We will pay your recurring HOA dues, lawn service and any other bill or invoice generated as a result of repairs, utilities or other services to your property with the exception of mortgage or insurance payments.
When will I receive my owner statement and check each month?
Your monthly proceeds will be electronically deposited directly to your bank account each month by the 15th. Property statements are emailed and paper checks mailed between the 10th-15th each month.
What are your fees for managing homes?
Our Management Service is 12% of the monthly rent collected, with a $100.00 per month minimum. Our Leasing fee is $180.00 each time a new tenant is located. Our Lease Renewal Fee is $80 flat charge each time a lease renewal is executed with an existing tenant.
We have market tested property management companies in our area and determined not only our fees to be lower, but the level of service greater than our competitors.
Do you charge a markup on maintenance invoices?
No, we do not mark up maintenance or repair invoices.
Do you charge a “setup” fee?
No, there is no setup fee.
What is the process once I decide to have you manage my home?
We will visit your home to make sure it meets our condition requirements. Then we will send you a management agreement and initiate the process of assuming management of your property.
Investing in Leading Technology
We have invested in a web-based property management and accounting software from AppFolio so our experienced team can manage your properties with the highest level of service. Our software not only provides great benefits to our office but we are also able to share many of these benefits with you:
- Respond more quickly and offer excellent service to both owners and residents.
At any time and from anywhere, we are able to securely access data about all properties. Sensitive records are safely stored in a state-of-art data center which is automatically and routinely backed up. - Save time and paper by using email to send monthly owner statements.
The statements are organized in a concise and easy to read format that details the performance of your property for the previous month. We can also post these monthly statements on a secure Owners Portal. - Process and respond to maintenance requests more quickly.
We can quickly resolve issues by accessing vendor information and using electronic work orders for more efficient communication. All records are stored for future access. - Pay you even faster every month.
Deposits can go directly into your bank account using ACH (electronic payments). - Market your properties in more locations across the Internet, filling vacancies much faster.
Our integrated system lets us professionally advertise your properties on our company Web site, Craigslist, and other Internet locations. - Prospective residents can apply online with the click of a button.
Online applications are integrated with all vacancy postings. This means we avoid paper applications, saving lots of time and ultimately filling vacancies more quickly. - Residents can avoid sending rent checks by paying their rent online.
We avoid the time and expense of managing rent checks each month and this is a great value-add service for residents.
Owner Statements Available Online
Did you know that you can now access your owner statements online?
Benefits:
- Concise statements covering the performance of your property for the previous month
- All data on your property is stored in a state-of-the-art data center
- Access information about your property 24/7
- Access information about your property from anywhere with an internet connection
How it works:
In order to keep your financials secure, we use a state of the art portal system which communicates with your email.
Each time you wish to view your reports, you must visit the portal and enter in your email address. You will be emailed a single-use link where you can view your statements. This link does not have a time limit, however, it will only work once.
