I will start by saying that I am a first-time landlord and did not know what to expect from a property manager. I had 2 homes that I needed managed. I interviewed multiple property managers, and chose Brick & Mortar Properties due to their commission structure, and Julie Thacker's description of what she would do as the Property Manager. She convinced me that she worked for the landlord. My expectation was that the property manager would help protect the property and save me from undo repairs. I will say that you get what you pay for. I was hoping that the property manager would spend my money like it was their own, but that was certainly not the case. I expected a property manager to handle issues brought up by tenants, but all Julie did was act as an in-between, passing every issue on to me.
I was "fired" by Julie when I refused to replace a toilet that continued to run after I paid $223 for Brick & Mortar's maintenance person to replace the toilet tank equipment. When the replacement of the equipment did not work, the maintenance person told Julie that the only solution was for the entire toilet to be replaced. When I refused to replace the entire toilet, at a cost of nearly $450 (quoted by Julie's "preferred contractor"), Julie terminated the contract on the spot, with no conversation. This was midterm on both rentals. When I went to the property to look at the toilet, I found that the flapper needed a new seal. Apparently, the $223 that I paid for the maintenance person to repair did NOT include the flapper. Mind you, the reason that they inspected the toilet is that it would not stop running. Any person with repair experience would know that this is the flapper. When the maintenance person went to the property, they replaced the fill valve, but did not touch the flapper. Instead of needing a new toilet, I replaced the flapper seal for $1.39 . . . And that price included 3 seals!
Another time, Julie requested that I make a claim with my home warranty for a garbage disposal that was not working. When I pushed back on this, and repeatedly asked her to have the maintenance person look at the issue, it was found out that the GFI had been tripped, and that is why it was not working. Essentially, Julie did nothing to save me money. I feel that she was just trying to avoid having to do any work on her side,and wanting me to throw money at every issue. Exactly what I didn't want from a Property Manager.
Now that I was "fired", I am dealing directly with my tenants. They said that they are MUCH happier to be dealing with me. I had some minor issues getting ahold of Julie, but my renters said that she was impossible to reach, and their office was always closed. Other than collecting rent, I am not exactly sure what I was paying them for.
I would absolutely NOT recommend Brick & Mortar Properties, and would discourage anyone from using them. I do not know what they feel like they were doing for their commission, but I did not see it. You would be better off managing the property by yourself, and saving the commission. read more