Switching Property Managers Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated.
Most owners put off changing managers because they expect a mess. In practice it is four steps: read your current agreement, move the records, tell the residents, and turn on access. Here is what each one involves.
Four steps, in order
Nothing here requires you to be an expert. It requires someone to work the list.
Review your current management agreement
Start with the document you already have. Most management agreements set out a notice period, a termination process, and what happens to records, keys, and any funds the company holds. Knowing those terms first determines the timeline for everything else.
We can talk through what a management agreement says and how it affects timing. We are a property management company, not a law firm — for advice about terminating a contract, talk to your own attorney.
- Find the notice period and how notice must be delivered
- Note any termination fee or minimum term
- Check what the agreement says about returning records and deposits
- Confirm who currently holds the security deposits and where
Transfer property information
The transition is mostly a records exercise, and the completeness of those records determines how smooth the first ninety days are. We give your outgoing manager a specific list rather than a vague request, and we tell you what is missing.
The deposit ledger is the one worth insisting on. A missing or approximate deposit record turns into a real dispute at move-out, and it is far easier to reconcile now than later.
- Executed leases and all amendments, addenda, and renewals
- Resident ledgers showing balances, credits, and payment history
- Security-deposit records — amount held per unit and where it sits
- Keys, fobs, gate codes, mailbox keys, and access information
- Vendor information — who has been doing the work and at what rates
- Open maintenance requests and anything mid-repair
- Warranties, inspection reports, and permits
- Rent-increase and notice history for regulated units
Coordinate resident communication and transition
Residents need one clear message: who manages the property now, where rent goes, and how to reach someone. Ambiguity here is what produces missed payments in the first month, so we write to every resident before the handover date, not after.
Existing leases carry over unchanged. A change of manager does not alter the terms a resident already signed.
- Written notice of the change in management and the effective date
- New payment instructions, with the old method clearly retired
- How to submit a maintenance request and what counts as an emergency
- Contact details for a real person, not just a portal
- Resident portal access set up unit by unit
Launch UnitSimple access and begin management
Once records are in and residents are informed, we set up the property in the system, load the units and leases, and turn on your owner access. From that point you can see the property rather than ask about it.
- Owner portal with statements, invoices, documents, and unit status
- Repair approval threshold set to whatever amount you choose
- Maintenance requests routed and tracked with cost attached
- A baseline walk of the property and a written condition summary
- A first-year plan for renewals, inspections, and capital items
What you are switching to
One flat rate, leasing included, and no markup on the repair invoices you pay.
- $100 per unit per month for full-service management — no percentage of rent
- Ordinary leasing included: listing, showings, applications, screening, lease preparation
- $0 UnitSimple markup on maintenance and repair invoices
- An owner portal that shows money, leases, maintenance, and documents
- A resident portal for payments, requests, and documents
- Direct access to the founder, not a call queue
Maintenance coordinated with licensed and qualified contractors. No UnitSimple maintenance markup.
Three things that make the first call useful
You do not need to prepare anything. But if you have these to hand, we can give you a real answer instead of a range.
- 1The address and unit count
It tells us the jurisdiction, which determines what rules apply, and the flat monthly fee.
- 2What you pay your current manager
The monthly percentage, plus the leasing fee, renewal fee, and any maintenance markup in the agreement.
- 3What is going wrong
Slow communication, surprise invoices, long vacancies, deferred repairs. The specific complaint tells us whether we would actually fix it.
818-568-6733 · If switching does not make sense for your property, we will say so.
Switching, answered
The questions owners ask before they give notice.
Thinking about switching managers?
Tell us about the property and what is not working. We will walk through what the transition would look like and what it would cost.