Property Owner Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to your questions!

What guarantees do you offer?
Qwest Property Management offers the best client guarantees in our service area. Our clients receive our FREE Client Guarantee Package that not only provides financial protection from potential uncertainties that are inherent in owning and renting homes, but it also provides peace of mind knowing that there are no long-term contracts. Please take a moment to look over our FREE Client Guarantee Package. If you are considering any other property management company, you will absolutely want to look over our company guarantees first!

Do you offer a discount for clients with multiple properties?

Yes we do!! However, this is subject to a case by case assessment of the particular properties or portfolio. Please click here to view our pricing for our Grand Rapids Property Management Services.


How are maintenance and repairs handled?

We cannot overemphasize how important proper maintenance execution and controlling costs are to your success as a landlord/investor. Many of our clients started out working with other Grand Rapids Property Management Companies prior to hiring Qwest Property Management. They found themselves unsatisfied simply because other management companies maintenance costs are too expensive. Unfortunately this is not something you will discover during the interviewing process, but will come to light once repairs are necessary to your property. The problem is the majority of Grand Rapids Property Management Companies will either have their own in-house maintenance division or they will sub contract maintenance and repairs and then add a surcharge to the contractors invoice. The owner is the billed for the up charged amount. At Qwest Property Management we do not have an in-house maintenance company and we do not add a surcharge to contractor’s invoices. Therefore, at Qwest Property Management you are only charged for the contractors invoiced amount.


Will you use my Home Warranty Company, such as American Home Shield?
No. We will not use American Home Shield or any other Warranty Company for any repair issues at your property under any circumstance. If you have a Home Warranty and wish to use it, you’ll have to hire a different management company..

By working through a Home Warranty Company it takes the repair and maintenance coordination out of our direct control. If, as a property management company, we wanted to damage our reputation with as many tenants as possible by providing the worst maintenance response imaginable, we can think of no better way to accomplish that than by using American Home Shield. They simply are not compatible with the level of service we demand of our contractors, and they don’t make the cut to be one of our preferred vendors. We have been burned so many times in the past that we finally decided we’d had enough!


Can I work on my property or will you use my brother-in-law/favorite plumber/contractor, he’s fairly handy?
No. We only use our preferred vendors. For liability reasons we are not able to use your friends or relatives to perform work on your home. (See below for further explanation)

Why are repairs and maintenance so important?
Nothing affects the landlord/investors long-term success and the reputation of a property management company more than the manner in which repairs are handled. Residents judge us by almost no other measure. When maintenance and repairs are not handled appropriately, there is a negative ripple effect put into motion which will cause more work for the Management Company and higher incurred expenses to the landlord/investor. It therefore makes little sense to entrust contractors we do not know, whom we have no relationship with or control over, with the reputation of our company and the relationship with our resident. Instead, when repairs are needed, we will send our trusted contractors with whom established relationships and excellent communication exists, and who will provide the quality service we require in a professional and timely manner. 

Remember, all money flows from your residents. Happy residents pay their rent and stay enthused to care for your property. If you as the landlord do not properly maintain your property, how can you expect a resident to properly care for the property? Qwest Property Management uses high quality and reasonably priced 3rd party sub-contractors who do good and timely work. Because of this, we are able to set a standard expectation for the resident to follow with regard to the level of care our clients properties deserve.

How long does it take to lease my Grand Rapids Rental Property?
While each property is different, many factors come into play when marketing a property for rent. Quick turnovers are important as vacancies are expensive. But, we are also committed to filling our units with quality residents. This is why we generally begin the marketing process during the last 30-days of the current residents lease. By pre-leasing the unit we’ll typically have new residents approved and lined up to move in within days after the existing resident lease expires. It is rare that vacancies go longer than 30-days.

How do you screen residents for my rental home?

Resident screening is critical. All adult occupants are required to complete our rental application process. We check credit, criminal background, national eviction search, income verification and when appropriate rental history. With our thorough screening process and stringent requirements we greatly reduce our clients risk for possible non-payment or other default by the residents.

We are so confident in our screening process that we offer our clients a FREE Eviction Protection Guarantee on all tenants that our company screens.


How often will my Grand Rapids Rental Property be inspected?

We administer move-in and move-out property condition assessments with 360 photo technology which provides us with excellent documentation and legal protection. Additionally, we conduct a walkthrough of the property approximately 90-days in advance of the resident's lease expiration for assessment and review. We do this to ensure that we do, in fact, want to offer our current residents the option to renew once we confirm they are taking care of the property, etc.

Over time, our 3rd party sub-contractors are also trained to report back to management any concerns regarding the property or the residents when they are on-site. It is also not unusual for one of our employees to be on-site a few times each year for either a maintenance issue, city rental inspection, etc. And, unlike many of our competitors, our inspections are free to our clients. You will never be charged an additional fee for an "Annual Inspection,” unless you request that we conduct one and provide you with a photo report.


How do you handle the city rental certification process and inspections?
We keep our clients compliant with the city by registering our clients rentals as per the city requirements. We coordinate all initial city required inspections/re-inspections and related required repairs as part of our full-service monthly management fee. There are no additional costs to our clients when Qwest Property Management coordinates the entire city certification process on their behalf. **Appeals at the owner’s request are excluded. While this is EXTREMELY rare. If QwestPM represents a client in an appeals case, then an hourly charge for our time assessed. The appeals process is considered to be outside of the typical scope of management. And, unless your home is in great disrepair. It is very unlikely that an appeal will ever be warranted.

What if I want to sell my Grand Rapids Rental Property?

While your property is being managed within our rental portfolio, you can expect that we will always move to sign a new lease with residents, unless you have expressed a desire to sell the property. At that time we will discuss a plan of action to get you and the property in the best position for the sale. Typically our clients will have Qwest Realty Consultants, our sales division, list the property for sale on the MLS.

Typically, when our clients are ready to sell it just makes sense to have our company list it for sale as well. We are going to be more familiar with the property then any other broker. And, we have the resources to get the property sale ready similarly to when we are getting it rent ready. This makes for a completely hassle free experience for our clients. In fact, when our clients do sell, we end up listing the property’s for sale over 90% of the time.


Do you charge a monthly management fee if my property is vacant?

No. We offer our clients a Results Guarantee! This means that our clients do not pay anything until we find them a qualified tenant. Additionally, our monthly management fee is only charged during any month when a resident has occupied the property.

**The only exception to the Results Guarantee is when a client requests that a unit under management remains vacant intentionally. This rarely happens, but when it does there is a minimal fee charged as vacant properties are often times more work than occupied properties.

Do you charge an extra fee if you need to evict a tenant?

No. In fact, Qwest Property Management offers our clients a FREE Eviction Protection Guarantee! We guarantee all tenants that our company screens and places into your property. And, if a tenant should end in eviction for non-payment with the first 18-month of their tenancy. Qwest Property Management will pay up to $500.00 in legal and court costs, AND we will re-lease the property for free by waiving the standard leasing fee.


How do I receive our rent payments?
Funds are directly deposited right into your bank account at the same time you receive your monthly statement.

Do you allow pets in your rental units?

Yes. Around 70% of renters have pets. So, if we were to decline applicants who have pets, we would greatly limit ourselves to a huge portion of the tenant population and this would cause much longer (and expensive) vacancy periods for our clients. But, to put our clients at ease regarding the risks of renting to tenants with pets. We offer our clients a FREE Pet Protection Guarantee! This guarantee covers up to $3,000.00 in damage protection for any pet damage done to the interior of the property above and beyond wat the security deposit covers!


What type of properties do you manage?
Single family homes, condos, duplexes, townhouses and apartments.

How soon can you start managing my property?
As soon as you are ready to move forward and our new client document package is completed and received, we’ll get started! You can fill out our contact form here.

For more information about Grand Rapids Property Management, please visit our educational blog.

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2844 Thornapple River Dr SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Tel: (616) 954-5900

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