ROY SMITH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

I used Roy Smith Property Management for 4.5 years to manage my house that I rented out by base. Roy is in charge of finances and Bob is in charge of dealing with clients and inspecting houses for repairs, issues, etc. While Bob is nice and does a good job, my fallout with this company was with how Roy managed finances, made major financial decisions without my approval or knowledge, and the lack of communication. Throughout the 4+ years I used their services, I always had to request information, status of repairs, status of finding tenants, where the rent check was, etc. While Bob was very quick to respond to my emails, it was very annoying not to get information pushed to me. A lot of times they would reduce the amount they sent me from the monthly rent checks without telling me why so I would have to keep contacting them asking for explanations and repair receipts. Several times they charged me for utilities even though there was a tenant living in the house. It was just a constant issue where money would be taken out, I would ask why and for receipts, then sometimes have to explain why the amount is incorrect. It just made me wonder how badly Roy's recording keeping and financial calculations were. Roy would also make agreements with the tenant without my knowledge or approval when it came to allowing the tenant to pay later than the required date on the lease (I have to pay monthly mortgage payments on the house and it doesnt help me when Roy keeps allowing tenants to delay their payments for weeks and months past their due dates). Not only did he makes those agreements, but I would never know and I would constantly have to ask where the rent check was. Additionally, I'm not sure where they found the tenants that they approved to live in my house because I had multiple evictions and tenants that caused damage. The final straw came when I had a tenant depart unexpectantly without telling anyone. I found out when the neighbor contacted me saying the tenant had moved out. Since the tenant broke their lease unexpectantly, I was entitled to the security deposit to cover the cost of paying the mortgage while Bob found a new tenant. Not only did Roy and Bob not even mention the security deposit, but I had to keep asking numerous times about when they were going to mail me the deposit. When they finally answered (after the 4th time I asked), I was told that it was less than half the actual security deposit which was $1350. When I asked why, Bob told me that when the tenant moved in, Roy allowed them to pay $600 of the $1350 deposit with a promise to pay the rest later. I'm sure everyone who has rented a house or apartment knows that if you cant pay the full deposit, you dont get the keys. Well not only did Roy make that decision without my knowledge or consent, he allowed the tenant to live in the house for 4 months before the tenant left and never requested the remaining amount. Then he tried to put the loss on me even though the lease that was signed by the tenant stated he had paid the full amount of the deposit. When I questioned it, instead of admitting he made a mistake, Roy decided to immediately terminate our contract the next morning. It took another 3 weeks and multiple emails to get the full amount they owed me (rent and security deposit for the new tenant and the full security deposit of the last tenant). Roy even tried to cheat me two additional times and only after I threatened to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Real Estate Department did he send the remaining amount. Bob was nice throughout this episode and even apologized but if I were him, I'd start paying more attention to what Roy is doing with the finances and actively push information to owners. That being said, I'm sure you're wondering why I kept using them after all those issues throughout the years. The answer is pretty simple, they only charge an 8% management fee and since I no longer live in Oklahoma, I guess I was just lazy to look for another property manager. If you are an owner, I recommend finding a different property management company. Other companies may charge the standard 10% but hopefully they will keep you informed, not make ludicrous agreements with the tenants, and ensure their records and finances are in order.