The Importance of Hiring a Property Management Company

 In this age of independence and mindset that one can manage on his own, it is inevitable that a property owner would think he will do fine on his own. Sure, you got tenants who at first, pay on time until gradually they won't, some will breach the contract and lease terms, then they cause problems with the neighbors and other tenants, then slowly you will notice you are losing money and when you decide to evict the tenant, next thing you know, you have a lawsuit at your doorstep.

The reality is if you use the services of a professional property management company, not only do you have peace of mind, your investment is protected and the consistent cash flow you receive through rent can assist you to buy additional investment properties.

This is why you need the assistance of a property management company, but before that, we will determine the pointers on why it is important to hire one.

Determining the Worth of Your Property

The problem with inexperienced owners is that sometimes they get overwhelmed on how they price their property to the market: oversell and you have to deal with the high vacancy rate with no profit, undersell and you will realize you are slowly losing profit. This is where a property management company comes in, they will help you determine a balanced meal where you gain tenants and continue to rake in profit.

A property management company is also well-versed in marketing your property and placing ads where it will attract tenants. They will answer any inquiry and they know what entices a prospective tenant, therefore will help you point out some cosmetic improvements so that the tenants will feel that renting your property is worthy of their money.

Avoiding Major Problems with Tenants

Screening tenants would not be one of your problems anymore because the property management company will take care of it. They know too well how to check the background of the interested tenants, their criminal records, their relationship with previous property owners and if they have ever caused problems before. Think of it as helping you weed out the bad ones for a healthy and bountiful crop.

Collecting rents is the most common problem in renting out your property. When left to your own devices, having your tenants pay you on time will become a child's play of hiding and seek between them and you as the property owner, certainly some tenants will tug at your heartstrings and gain your sympathy with the hope that you will let them get away with it. A property management company, however, will become the middleman who will ensure that the tenants abide by the lease terms and should understand that they are just doing their job for you, keeping your cash flow consistent.

Maintenance

When a tenant has reached the end of the contract, the grueling process of turnover will usually keep you busy as a property owner, but with a property management company by your side, that is another pile of stress that will be taken care of. Any deductions from the security deposit will be made and returned to the tenant, and the restoration process of repairing any damages, repainting, changing locks and cleaning the property would be done without getting your own hands dirty.

As a property management company, expect that they know the right people to contact should there be any problems with leaks, wiring, and plumbing experienced by the tenants and their dilemmas will be addressed promptly.

Saving Time and Money

A successful businessman knows that delegating tasks is key for a successful business so that one can have more time to deal with other business ventures. With almost everything being taken care of, it seems like the only thing left to do is to visit your property at a certain time interval and continue to rake in profit while having more time to spend it with your family, social life, other priorities, and investments.

IN CONCLUSION

Hiring a property management company takes care of the burden for you, especially if you are well aware that marketing, confronting tenants with late payments and handling maintenance are not your strongest points especially if managing your property is not the only priority you have in your busy life. Therefore delegating this task to a reliable property management company may just be one of the best decisions you have ever made.

Tax Reporting Requirements for Property Managers

 The beginning of each calendar year is a very busy time for many businesses, and Property Managers are not left out of that category! Whether you are a large Property Management Company or an individual Property Manager, this is the time when all tax forms should be issued for funds paid out to Rental Property Owners or Vendors during the previous calendar year. The form that is used to complete this task is the 1099-MISC, and this form must be submitted to the recipient and the IRS by a specified date each year. When 1099s are submitted to the IRS, they must be accompanied by a summary form, Form 1096, to meet the tax filing requirements.

- Why is the 1099-MISC necessary? 
The IRS uses 1099s to monitor any income source that is not filed on a traditional W-2 form, which only shows income received as a salary or wage. This is a way in which the IRS captures any income received by an independent contractor or rental property owner that may otherwise go unreported. A Property Manager or Property Management Company is acting as a reliable source for the IRS to help enforce that all income is being reported.

- Who should receive a 1099-MISC? 
• Rental Property Owners - all rental property owners that have received $600 or more in rent disbursements in a given calendar year should be issued a 1099-MISC.

• Vendors - all independent contractors or vendors who are unincorporated and have received $600 or more in a given calendar year for services provided should be issued a 1099-MISC.

- When does a 1099-MISC NOT need to be filed? 
Every situation has exceptions, and tax filing and reporting is no different. Here are some of those exceptions: 
• If the total payments to a rental property owner or vendor are less than $600, a 1099-MISC does not need to be filed. 
• If a rental property owner is a corporation, a 1099-MISC does not need to be filed. 
• If a vendor is an incorporated business, a 1099-MISC does not need to be filed.

- What information is required on a 1099-MISC? 
• Tax ID # - this can be an individual's SSN or an EIN for an unincorporated organization. 
• Address - this is needed for the 1099-MISC to be sent to the recipient. 
• Funds Paid - this includes a total of all income paid to a vendor or individual rental property owner during the previous calendar year. (Remember, only if the total is greater than $600)

- What boxes are used on a 1099-MISC to report income? 
• Rental Property Owners - all income collected that was for rent should be reported in box 1 "Rents" on the 1099-MISC. Any additional income paid (late fees, utility bill reimbursements, NTQ fees, etc.) should be reported in box 3 "Other Income" on the 1099-MISC. 
• Vendors - all payments made for vendor services should be reported in box 7 "Non-employee Compensation" on the 1099-MISC.

It is also good practice to send all rental property owners a copy of their financials for the previous calendar year so they can see where the amounts in each box on the 1099-MISC were derived from.

Not filing 1099s when required can lead to penalties and fines by the IRS, so it is very important to keep accurate records of amounts paid to each vendor and rental property owner and request any necessary forms that you may need to file the tax forms to be compliant in this process.