If you're a homeowner in El Paso considering hiring a property management company, you might be wondering what to look for to ensure you choose the right one for your investment property. Here are some tips to help you make an informed decision:

Experience and Reputation

Look for a property management company with a solid track record in El Paso. Experience matters when it comes to understanding the local market and handling different property types. Check online reviews and ask other homeowners for recommendations to find a company with a good reputation.

Range of Services

Different property management companies offer different services, so make sure the one you choose provides what you need. Common services include rent collection, tenant screening, maintenance, repairs, inspections, and financial reporting. Find out if they offer any additional services like legal advice or eviction assistance.

Communication and Availability

Effective communication is key to a successful partnership. Look for a company that is responsive and keeps you in the loop. They should be available to address any questions or concerns you may have. Open lines of communication can help prevent misunderstandings and ensure smooth property management.

Fees and Pricing

Property management fees vary, so it's important to understand what you'll be paying for. Ask for a breakdown of fees and compare quotes from different companies. Be wary of unusually low fees, as they may come with hidden costs or subpar service. Choose a company with transparent pricing that fits your budget.

Legal and Regulatory Knowledge

The property management company should be well-versed in local, state, and federal laws related to property management. This includes understanding tenant rights, fair housing laws, and other regulations. They should also keep up with any changes in the law to keep you compliant.

Tenant Screening and Retention

A good property management company knows how to screen potential tenants thoroughly to find reliable, long-term renters. Ask about their screening process and how they handle tenant issues. Retaining good tenants is important for a steady rental income and lower turnover costs.

Professionalism and Trustworthiness

You want a property management company you can trust with your investment. Look for professionalism in their interactions, contracts, and business practices. Verify their credentials and ask for references to get a better sense of their reputation.

By keeping these tips in mind, you can choose a property management company that will take good care of your El Paso investment property. A reliable partner will help you maximize your returns and make managing your property a smooth experience. For more insights and services tailored to homeowners like you, check out 5-star property management homeowners page. Let us help you make the most of your investment.

Renting an apartment or house is a big deal. You're probably excited to see if it's the right home for you, but also nervous about how much it will cost and whether or not you will get what you want. That's why so many people turn to online rental search engines like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist when looking for places to rent. Unfortunately, there are scammers out there who try to take advantage of people by tricking them into paying for fake apartments online by using listings that appear authentic but aren't. And, it can also be expensive and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are ways you can avoid falling victim to these scams so that your next move is smooth sailing!

Overview

• Never wire money to anyone you don’t know
• Never use a non-secure payment method
• Be suspicious of the rental amount
• Check the address of the property
• Confirm that the landlord or property management company
• Make sure all phone numbers are local
• Check out the neighborhood
• Conclusion

Never wire money to anyone you don’t know.

There are many types of rental scams and you should be cautious when renting a house. Scammers often ask people to wire money, especially overseas or via non-bank transfer services.

• Never wire money to anyone you don’t know (or use a non-secure payment method such as Western Union or MoneyGram). If the rental amount is significantly less than market prices, be suspicious. This may indicate that there are other costs associated with your booking.
• Don’t rent from someone who doesn't have their own website or an Instagram account where they post pictures of themselves driving around in their car! These people could be using fake profiles on sites like Facebook, Airbnb, or Craigslist to scam people out of thousands of dollars every month.

Never use a non-secure payment method.

Never use a non-secure payment method such as Western Union or MoneyGram when paying for a rental. The money you send will be gone forever, and the scammer will take your money and disappear.

Be suspicious if the rental amount is significantly less than market prices.

• One of the most important things to keep in mind when deciding whether a deal is too good to be true is that if it sounds too good, then it probably is. If the price seems too low and you’re asked for money upfront, then there’s a good chance that this person might be trying to scam you. And if they ask you to wire money or use a money transfer service like Western Union or Money Gram (which can take several days), then again—it may be time for your rental search engine of choice.
• Renting a property is an ideal way to save money on rent, but there are some things you should look out for before you sign up.
• If the rental amount is significantly lower than market prices, this could be an indication that it's a scam. There are several reasons why scammers might do this: they might not have enough money themselves or they may want you to trust them with your deposit in order to convince you later on down the road when things go wrong (for example, if they don't return your deposit).
• Another red flag is when someone asks for a large portion of your upfront payment right away — especially if it's transferred internationally via wire transfer instead of using PayPal or another secure method like Venmo (which allows users to send money directly from their bank accounts). The best way to avoid getting scammed is to do your research. Make sure you're dealing with a reputable company and don't pay more than necessary.

Check the address of the property using Google Street View and make sure it matches the listing.

Google Street View is a great tool for verifying locations. You can use it to confirm that the address listed on your rental property listing matches the actual location of that property.

You can also use Google Street View to check nearby landmarks, such as parks or schools, which may help you determine if it would be safe for your family to move there.

Confirm that the landlord or property management company is actually renting it out.

• Confirm that the landlord or property management company is actually renting it out. Ask for their full name or company's name and then run an internet search with it, along with some keywords from the ad, to see if any other ads appear with similar information (scammers will often recycle the same ads on multiple sites).
• Check the property management company's address on Google Street View and make sure it matches what's listed in your contract. If you're not sure who you're dealing with, ask a trusted friend or relative where they think they should send money so they can track down this information themselves. This can help prevent scams from happening!
• Make sure you are talking to the right person. If you're dealing with a property management company, they should have the authority to rent the property. If they don't, walk away and find someone who does.

Make sure all phone numbers are local and call several times at different times of day before trusting them.

• Call the number multiple times at different times of the day.
• Look for a local address, not a PO box.
• Look for a local phone number and check to see if the area code matches your own.
• If all you get is voicemail, don't trust that either–this may be a sign that a foreign scammer is trying to get your money. Some scammers create fake voicemail messages.

If you can't locate any information about who you're dealing with, it's possible that someone is trying to scam you out of money by posing as an agent or another property owner who has hired them—and they've got your contact information in hand! In this case, contact those companies directly through their customer service lines instead of calling around hoping one will answer (and then hopefully get hung up on).

Check out the neighborhood to see if it matches what’s described in the ad

Next, check out the neighborhood to see if it matches what’s described in the ad, and look to see whether any major landmarks have been omitted from the description (scammers who have never seen the property may leave them out).

Also, make sure that you’re seeing a real-life photo of your prospective rental house. Are there other photos on Google Maps? Does it appear as though they were taken with a camera phone or laptop webcam? If so, this could mean that someone has used an image of another property as their own.

Conclusion

Always be skeptical of any offer that sounds too good to be true. It's important to remember that it takes time and effort for scammers to find new victims, so they may not have a lot of available rental listings at the moment. If you need any help in finding a new home, don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] or call +1 915 996 5775.

As an interested applicant, you will always want to make sure that you complete the application process promptly. Whether it’s your first time submitting a rental application or not, it’s important to know that completing the rental application is vital to get approved. 

Applications are processed on a FIRST-COME-PRE-QUALIFIED, FIRST-SERVE BASIS; and, without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status, and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

What does a pre-qualified applicant look like? An application is considered pre-qualified if the below has been successfully satisfied/completed:

• All Occupants/Tenants above 18 years of age have submitted an application.
• The application fee has been paid for each occupant/tenant above 18 years of age.
• Completed All Necessary documents listed on the rental application form.
• Valid Social Security number or Tax ID number
• Verifiable income showing collective net income of at least three times the monthly rent.
• Have at least 12 months of verifiable rental or mortgage history on present or previous residences, showing a positive rental history without evictions, failure to pay rent records, improper notice to vacate records, or lease complaints/violations.
• Be able to take possession of the property within two weeks from the availability date
• For Benefit holders:
  • Verifiable income showing collective net income of at least three times the tenant's rent portion.
  • Benefits verification letter

Table of Contents on the Rental Application Process

Written below are the steps on what the rental application process looks like. Typically, this will take one to three (1-3) business days. However, there are times when one application might take longer than usual due to uncontrollable circumstances. 

1. Applicant Information
2. Payment of Application Fee
3. Credit and Background Check
4. Employment and Income Verification
5. Rental History Verification
6. Animal Screening Verification
7. Rental Owner Approval
8. Lease Draft and Signing

Applicant Information

Applicants are asked to enter their: 

• Name
• SSN
• Birthdate
• E-Mail, 
• Phone
• Current address
• and a few other questions that’ll be relevant to the application. 

Please be aware that any false information provided on your application will be grounds for denial.

Payment of Application Fee

The application fee will be charged to the account once it’s your turn. The fee is used to cover the administrative, hard, and soft costs of processing individual rental applications. They cannot be ordered/processed collectively or combined.

Credit and Background Check

In evaluating the application, the consumer reporting agency (TransUnion LLC) provides information that in whole or in part influences the approval or denial decision. TransUnion LLC and Vantage Data Solutions provide us with credit and criminal record information. For applicants who have questions about their report(s), they have the right to dispute the matter with the reporting agency, not through 5 Star Property Management, that has provided the report. The reporting agency can be reached through RentPort consumer relations at 1- 800-230-9376 or [email protected].

Employment and Income Verification

This is one of the essential parts of the screening process. These data ensure that one can afford the rental property desired by an applicant. While 5 Star Property Management relies on various forms of information to determine if a tenant can afford to rent the property, it’s recommended that these be filled out with all honesty with sources showing the current total net income.

Animal Screening Verification

Each animal(s) that will live on the property is required to undergo a screening process with our affiliated company - PetScreening.com 

What is PetScreening?

“PetScreening is a simple and secure way to manage important information about your Pet or Assistance Animal. If you have No Pet or Animal you are not required to complete the screening process.

The per-pet application fee is as low as $20 for the first pet and $15 for every additional pet. Each pet profile must be processed separately but the multi-pet discount will be automatically applied to any additional pet profiles processed.

There is no charge ($0) for submitting a reasonable accommodation request for an assistance animal. It will be reviewed by our legal review team per the FHAct guidelines. Please be aware of your state's statutes or local ordinances, if any, for criminal offenses and/or penalties for committing assistance animal fraud.”

Source: Petscreening.com

Rental History Verification

The rental verification assists 5 Star Property Management to verify the rental history of an applicant. In this process, the applicants are asked to sign the Authorization to Release Information to allow us to call/email/text their listed landlord and ask for information in reference to their rental history. This allows us to get more accurate data on how rent payments were delivered, if there were any problems during the lease, or if there had been any complaints. Please know that our decision is based on the information only and not on hearsay, thus we make sure that we do this objectively.

Rental Owner Approval

Once all the above information has been gathered, 5 Star Property Management objectively summarizes them and presents them to the rental owners for final approval. Once the decision has been made, it’ll be relayed to the applicant(s).

Lease Drafting and Signing

Upon getting approval, two things take place immediately:

Finalizing Move-in Date

Move-in date is tentatively scheduled as submitted on the rental application. The applicant is asked if there are any changes to it and are reminded how the keys will be handed off.

Lease Packet Drafting and Signing

The lease packet will be drafted within 1-2 business days and sent to the applicant electronically for