Rental Management Services

Anyone who reads reviews has come across those that have limited credibility because they are just rants by an unhappy customer. Indeed, I am an unhappy customer but my intent is to offer just the facts and allow them to speak for themselves. RMS had management responsibility for our Portland property for 730 days. During this time it was vacant for 128 days or 18% percent of the time. We hired RMS with the idea that they would care for the property and also take care of us. We discovered that there were a great many questions we had not been savvy enough to ask. Here are a few: ? Do you conduct regular walk-throughs or inspection visits? (Turns out they are happy to do so but only if you know you have to ask.) ? What is your policy on bidding large repair projects. (Turns out one bid was enough for a $3000 job?they say they are happy to get three bids if you know enough to ask. Actually, we had submitted such a request in writing but it was ignored.) ? What is your policy on contacting the owner before work is scheduled? (Turns out, they will do whatever you want. Good to know if you want to avoid being charged $80 to replace one battery in a smoke detector.) ? And that brings us to: What is your policy on replacing smoke alarm batteries? (We were told they don't have one. So, rather than change them all once a year at the same time you get a $55 charge each time one chirps; in this case up to $400 a year. And by the way, that is plus a $10 battery plus, a $10 dollar trip charge plus, a 10% markup.) ? Last question we should have asked: What is your standard of workmanship? (Really, who would think that this would be a question you should need to ask. However, when questioned on the childlike quality of $250 in repair work we were told that it met ?rental standards?. Just a few final points; ? The house was returned to us with a burn hole in the deck, a missing attic door, stained carpets and huge oil slicks on the garage floor. ? RMS was unable or unwilling to show us an itemized billing for repairs held against the tenants deposit. ? During three months while the house sat empty RMS found reasons to make five billable trips to complete minor projects of questionable importance. ? Finally our account was freely billed for cleaning and maintenance supplies. Thirty dollars worth of new paintbrushes and paint rollers and paint trays were left in the garbage un-cleaned and worthless along with an assortment new brooms, mops and buckets. Thirty pounds of salt were billed for forty feet of sidewalk and thirty-two dollars worth of new LED light bulbs were purchased but only four ended up in the house.