While they may be an option if you're looking for a long-term property management company, this…read morecompany does not know how to operate a vacation-rental property management company (I am speaking first-hand, as an owner of a STR property management company, so I know what is involved with managing short-term rentals). We reside in TX but have a vacation home in Gulfport, MS. Unfortunately, STR property managers are few and far between so there aren't a whole lot of options.
This company does the absolute bare minimum, and does not ensure that the home is being taken care of. It was 'revealed' to me on our last visit that they do not go by to check on the home between guests, but rather rely on their cleaners to report damages and/or missing items. Here's the thing... I'm not paying their cleaners, I'm paying THEM to take care of my home, so it seems reasonable to expect them to put eyes on the home, at least on a somewhat regular basis. The reason I know they're relying on the cleaners is because when I asked Melanie, the PM assigned to our home, what had happened to the missing items and damages to the home, she said she'd need to check with the cleaners, as she was not aware of any missing items/damage. I'm not sure how you overlook a missing doorknob (with the holes still in the door), a missing toilet paper holder that left multiple large holes in the wall (decorative, heavy-duty, that wouldn't just fall out of the wall), or the transition wood flooring piece between rooms - all of these are very obvious when you enter the home.
We visited the home for the first time in 8 months and noticed missing items from the home, damage to the home, gum stuck to the bedframe, stains on area rugs, a GIANT tree limb on the roof (the size of a small tree), and the privacy fence, which was to be securely locked at all times, left wide open. Melanie, was fairly responsive to emails and text messages (for the most part), but failed to communicate maintenance issues in real time (even after making the request on multiple occasions) - we would find out about them only at the end of the month, when it was time to pay out owner proceeds.
The only function of the "owner portal" is to view statements, however, when we noticed discrepancies between our 1099 and what was reported on the statements on the owner portal, the response was "Oh, the information on the website isn't correct". So, basically, if you are an owner of a short-term-rental in their management portfolio, you have to just TRUST that they are being transparent with all of the expenses. There is no way to see bookings in real time, and you cannot use the portal to reserve time in the home - you have to reach out to the property manager and ask them to block the calendar off on your behalf - another example that they are not equipped to manage short-term rentals.
Despite there being very limited options for vacation rental property managers in this area, I would not recommend trusting your asset to this company, as they are not experts in the industry. When it was time to put the listing up on VRBO / Airbnb, Melanie told us up front that writing listings was not her strong suit, so we ended up writing the listing. Additionally, when reviewing rates, they are clearly a 'set it and forget' company. The only time rates were ever adjusted was when we instructed her to lower or raise the rates. If you are looking for a property manager that will allow you to be hands off, yet still feel confident that your property is being taken care of, and making a profit for you, this is not the company you want to go with.
