Property On-Boarding-What to Expect

Welcome!

Welcome to TouchPoint Property Management! You're on your way to having a worry-free rental experience.


At this point, You have signed your Property Management Agreement, completed your Property Intake Form, and paid your Onboarding Funds.


To ensure that your property onboarding experience is as efficient as possible...Please review the following information carefully to see the next steps in our onboarding process and know precisely what is required from you and what to expect from us.


What we will cover in this series:

Our Team and Roles, Team Communication, Landlord Insurance, Onboard call with your Account Manager, Property access, Utilities, Property Intake Evaluation, Rent Ready Maintenance, PM Transition Process, HOA and Municipality, Existing Tenant Onboarding, Marketing, Maintenance Process, Appliances, and Pets.


1. Our Team and Roles:

Because there are so many variables and moving parts involved in managing a property… it takes a close-knit team to ensure good results for you as the Owner. Here are some of the team members that you will be in contact with over the course of working with us. 

Account Manager: 

Your  Account Manager will oversee all Marketing, Leasing, Tenant Placement, and Lease Compliance aspects throughout the rental lifecycle. Your Account manager is responsible for your overall results and is your go-to person for everything except Maintenance. Your account manager partners with their Maintenance Coordinator for property care...so that they can focus on Owner and Property Success.


Maintenance Coordinator:

Your Account Manager works alongside their Maintenance Coordinator, ensuring that all repairs and maintenance on the property are handled efficiently for you and the Tenant. 

The Maintenance Coordinator oversees all of the property repair and maintenance-related tasks, such as: 

Property Evaluations, Getting the property ready for marketing and tenant occupancy, scheduled home improvements, routine service requests and work orders, recurring maintenance such as lawn care, winterizing, HVAC service, Gutter cleaning, and finally, handling repair quotes, estimates, and invoicing.


Bookkeeper:

Then we have our Bookkeeper, Aida. In property management, there is a need for detailed accounting oversight to keep your rental and trust account accurate as per regulations. Therefore, we have a dedicated bookkeeper on the Team who helps the Account Manager with rent collection and all aspects of accounting for your property to keep it compliant.

So, in summary, Your Account Manager will handle everything related to your property and tie everything together...however, if there is any maintenance needed on your property, you will hear from my Maintenance Coordinator. You will hear from our Bookkeeper, Aida if there are any accounting-related items.


To make it easy for you....your Team shares one email address, which is support@touchpointpm.com


2. Team Communication:

I want to talk to you about the best method of communication between you and our Team…

It is very important that we respond to all of your questions and concerns in a timely manner. Because the nature of our job requires us to be on the telephone all day coordinating items between owners, tenants, vendors, utility companies, and HOAs...It is very difficult to get to every call right away, and at the same time, we don't want you to have to navigate through our phone system and leave a voicemail. Therefore… The best way for us to communicate is going to be over email. That way, everything is also documented. 


To make it easy for you, our entire Team shares one email address which is support@touchpointpm.com.


So if you have any questions at all… we ask that you send us an email to support@touchpointpm.com with your question, and we should be able to reply quickly….but keep in mind…. that if you would like a telephone call…. that is not a problem. You have to simply send us your inquiry by email and let us know the best time to call you back when you are available. This will allow us time to research the matter and call you back at a convenient time so that we could avoid leaving each other voice messages and playing phone tag all day. 


Note: Please be sure to add this email address: support@touchpointpm.com to your email "allowed" or "white list" to ensure that our email doesn't go to your junk mail or a spam folder. Always check your junk mail if you expect an email from us.


In some cases, our Team may send system-generated SMS text message notifications to let you know to expect a critical email.


3. Landlord Insurance:

Provide us with a copy of your Landlord Insurance (AKA Fire Policy) listing on the policy:
   "TouchPoint Property Management as Additionally Insured"

This will provide liability coverage for your "non-owner-occupied" property and our company. We hold all necessary insurance as well. 



There are two reasons that we need our company listed on the policy as additional insured:

1. At no charge to the Owner, it will provide our company with coverage if anything at all happens that is out of our control. Yes... We do have our own insurance but more insurance is always better.

2. If there is some sort of fire or flood-related issue on the property, we will need to make a claim with your insurance company on your behalf and follow through with the repair for you. Having our name on the policy will allow us to talk to your insurance company on your behalf. It's better to get this done in advance so we can act quickly if this ever occurs.

***Keep in mind that we require all of our residents to hold "Rental Insurance" policies...which we will try to use where applicable before we make any claims on your policy.


4. Onboard Call with your Account Manager:

Once we have received all of the above items from you, within one business day, you will have an Introduction and Onboarding call with your designated TouchPoint Account Manager. On this call, we will discuss obtaining access to your property and important dates and milestones to perform our intake condition evaluation report and marketing photos/videos.


5. Property Access: (Keys, Fobs, Remotes)

Please deliver to our office At least one front door key for us to gain access. We will also require all miscellaneous keys, remotes, fobs, access cards, and mailbox keys. 

Please be so kind as to label them correctly to make our job easier. (If you do not provide all necessary items, we will need to create or obtain them from a Locksmith, HOA, or Post Office at your expense)

Our mailing address is:

TouchPoint Property Management

6404 Carmel Rd, Suite 201 Charlotte, NC 28226


6. Utilities:

If your property's utilities are currently activated, please leave them on. If not currently activated, don't do anything...we will activate them in our name. Either way...Once the Tenant moves in, they will be transferred to the new Tenant's name. When the Tenant moves out at the end of their lease, we will activate them in our name until we place a new tenant, and so on.


7. Property Intake Evaluation:

Within two business days of receiving the keys and confirmation that utilities have been activated, we will visit the property and perform a detailed "In-take Property Condition Evaluation Report,"...which will include superficial details and pictures of your property inside and out. Keep in mind this is not a formal Property Inspection.


The report will be shared with you via email, and our Maintenance Coordinator will reach out to you within 1-2 business days to discuss the findings and a Rent Ready proposal and make recommendations based on a proposal to get your property in "Rent Ready" Condition.

Our Team will review the report and begin putting together a reasonable proposal to prepare your property "Rent Ready" for the market and Tenant moving in. 


8. Make Rent Ready Maintenance:

After we have visited your property and performed and reviewed our "Property Intake Evaluation Survey Report," Our maintenance Coordinator will reach out to you and discuss any maintenance items that stand out that will protect and preserve your property and increase demand for it. This way...we can get your property in a condition that will attract the most qualified renters, for the highest price, in the shortest amount of time. We also want to give the renters a reason to renew their lease and to stay in your property as long as possible...to reduce your property's vacancy and tenant placement costs. Consider maintenance as an investment in your property business as you will get returns over the long term if you rent or sell.

In addition, we want to mitigate and nip any small problems that we find in the bud...so that they don't fester and become bigger more expensive problems down the road.


Depending on the condition of your property, we will need to send our repair and property preservation techs out to your property to obtain rent-ready quotes, which we will share with you for approval. This could take a few days, depending on the scope of work, to obtain all of the necessary quotes for our proposal.


Once the proposal is approved by you...we will coordinate and oversee the work from beginning to completion, which could take 1-7 days, depending on the property's needs.


As a value-added service to our customers, We have preferred technicians and vendors in every maintenance category that we have vetted carefully. Our maintenance team can help with cleaning, trash outs, moving, handyman, painting, GC, carpentry, kitchen and bath remodel, flooring, electrical, plumbing, roofing, HVAC, Lawn Care, Extermination, Locksmiths, Windows, Blinds, and Appliances.

All of the technicians and vendors we work with are licensed and insured. Most importantly, they understand that they need to work within our standard operating procedures to ensure the best results for our customers. This means they must be responsive, on time, polite, do quality work, report back, and provide fair pricing.


Can I use my Own Vendors?

We do not advise using your own vendors as, from our experience, it usually convolutes the process. You may find some vendors outside of our network that may be a pennies cheaper...but it ends up costing more time, money, and frustration for you and us in the long run as they do not know how to work within our workflows and systems and as a result, we typically have to step in and send our vendors out there to correct the problems at your cost to keep your property compliant.

To avoid all of this, please default to our maintenance recommendations, as we have your best interest in mind and have been doing this daily on thousands of properties for over 20 years. Our team can see the bigger long-term picture vs. trying to save a few dollars. If the work is not done right...you may think you are saving money...but you are not. 

You hired us for a reason...which was to manage your property. We can deliver better results if you allow the complete TouchPoint process to work for you.


 9. Deep Cleaning (aka Hotel Room Condition):

Please take a look at the link below, which explains the importance of deep cleaning the property along with the financial and peace of mind-related benefits to you...in simply allowing Touchpoints vendors to handle it for you at onboarding.

Please click here to review - Deep Cleaning the Property (Hotel Room Ready)


9. PM Transition Process: (When applicable)

If you are transferring your property to TouchPoint from another Property Manager...

Please inform your previous manager that we will be reaching out to them and provide us with anything that we request. After your TouchPoint Onboard Call, we will use the information that you provided on your "PM Transfer Form" and reach out to your previous manager to collect everything that we need to take over management.

This would include:

Keys, Lease, Ledgers and Reports, Security Deposits, and tenant Contact Info.

We will work as fast as possible... but sometimes the old management companies can be a little bit slow. Don't worry; we will proactively follow up and let you know if we need your assistance moving things along.


10. HOA and Municipality:

You must notify your HOA and the City/County Tax Office of your forwarding mailing address and contact information if correspondence is required by their office. We do not want to count on the Tenant to save your mail. Moving forward, consistently forward all property-related correspondence to us at support@touchpointpm.com

We will mitigate any problems and report the results back to you.


8. Existing Tenant Onboarding:

If your property already has an existing tenant in place...

We will be reaching out to your Tenant by phone, mail, and email to make a formal introduction. We will instruct the Tenant on how to submit rent payments and maintenance requests via their online Tenant Portal. 

Our Team will honor the Tenant's existing lease until the expiration, and then at that point, we will renew the Tenant or place a new tenant on TouchPoint's lease to ensure future compliance.

When it is time for the existing Tenant to move out, TouchPoint will perform a Detailed Move out evaluation report, work on getting the property rent ready, and back on the market to attract a new tenant.


12. Marketing:

Assuming that your property is vacant and needs Tenant Placement...

Once the property is ready to show and is close to move-in condition, our Team will take marketing photos and videos to start advertising the property on all of the major rental websites along with the Realtor MLS system. 

Depending on the condition of the property and how long it will take to make it rent ready, we will do a 1 week coming soon advertisement and allow showings once the property is vacant and  meets our standards of neat and clean...which is "Hotel Room Clean"

We do not advertise properties that do not show well as they only attract low-quality tenants with low standards...that no one else wants.

Once your property is officially on the market, you will receive an email from our Team which will include the next steps and what to expect. 

Here is a preview:

Click here to review: On the Market - What to Expect


13. Maintenance Process:

Please take a moment and review the link below, which explains our processes and procedures regarding maintenance service calls, proposals, and work orders.

Click here to review: Property Maintenance-What to Expect


14. Appliances:

Landlords and rental property owners often reach out to our team with questions regarding appliances. Appliances can be a sticky subject, so we're here to shed some light on whether or not you should provide them, what appliances we recommend and staying away from, and how to protect yourself when it comes to maintaining them. Click the link below.

Click here to review: Should I supply additional appliances such as a Refrigerator, Washer and, Dryer


15. Pets and Animals:

Here is an article on what you should consider the financial benefits of allowing pets. Pros and Cons.

Click here to view - Consider Allowing Pets


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