We don't charge fees until we have rented your property and collected rent is in your account.  We pay our fees from rental income.

Term Fee: A one time per term fee equivalent to 4% of the total gross rent for the entire lease duration, whether for a new or renewed term (min charge $650) 

*The Term Fee is never charged twice for any given period of time.  If a tenant moves part way through their lease, any new tenancy term fee will be prorated to only charge for new months

Management Fee: A monthly fee, calculated at 8% of the total gross rent for the month (min charge $125)

Admin Fee:  $17/mo

Inspection Fee: A twice annual fee charge after inspections are completed at $75/inspection.

*all fees are subject to GST

There are 4 typical scenarios in which maintenance dispatch is handled

1- Essential, non emergency, low cost dispatch (i.e. Expired smoke detector)  

We are not going to wait for approval for an essential item like this that is relatively low cost to replace and involves issues of liability.  For these situations, we will simply dispatch this to be completed asap and will advise you of dispatch.

2- Non essential or discretionary dispatch (i.e. Tenant asks if we can repaint an old fence)  

In these scenarios we will connect with you providing quotes and will ask for input and approval prior to moving forward.

3- Essential, non emergency, high cost dispatch (i.e. broken washing machine)  

In this setting a replacement will be required for us the landlord to honor the terms of the tenancy, but we will provide quotes and will ask for input and approval prior to moving forward.

4- Emergency dispatch (i.e. plumbing leak or furnace failure in cold weather)

In these settings we will act in an emergency capacity and will dispatch for emergency services to be completed asap regardless of cost and in order to protect the property and tenant safety.

In general we will communicate maintenance items to clients regardless of the situation or status of dispatch.

The quick answer is no.  Typically we are dispatching trade serviced items (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) to licensed and ticketed third party trade professionals.  The invoice they send is what you will pay and you will see the invoice attached to your statements.  Over the years we have developed strong relationships with these trades where we can expect a certain level of service, pricing, and response from them.  We also have a small in house handyman department that completes non specialized and small jobs that do not require the expertise or pricing of ticketed trades.  This is charged at competitive industry rates.

Tenant selection is the cornerstone of our business and is an area we do not compromise.  We know that a poorly chosen tenant is a tenant that ends up costing our clients in damage and unpaid rents.  We vet inquiring parties before we show them a property so that we know on paper they are qualified.  During showings we get the "gut" impression and make notes on interactions and impressions.  When an inquiring party decides to apply we run our due diligence collecting identification documents, communicating with employers and landlords, and by asking probing questions to confirm quality, character and history.  We also ask tenants to run their credit check and send us a copy, saving our clients that cost.  We never approve an application without receiving full security deposit.  This is an important element to qualify a tenant's ability to cover expenses.  Finally, we conduct online visibility checks looking into social media and online presence which can be very revealing.  This is an area of utmost importance!

We collect rents due on the 1st of each month.  Most rents are collected by pre authorized withdrawal.  These banking transfers require approx 1 week to clear.  After that we charge our fees and put through the client net deposit.  On or before the 15th of the month after rent is collected (or the next business day if on a banking holiday) we make deposits into client account.  You will receive an email showing the deposit has been put through and the banks can take a day or two to transfer these funds and for them to land in your account.  All financial details including income, expenses, invoices, and reports are available at will on your Buildium Client Portal.

Example: 

Jan.1 rent is collected

Jan.7 banking clears

Fees are charged

Jan.15 client receives deposit

Yes!  We have processed NR tax remittances for non resident clients for over a decade.  Due to the nature of liability that the federal government puts on NR tax remittance agents, we are able to remit NR taxes on a gross basis and not on net or NR6.  We are directed by our clients meaning we do not have to be  the remittance agent and NR clients are free to chose whomever they would like to act in this capacity for them.

CLICK HERE to have us run comps and suggest rental rates based on the current market.  We will do our best to represent where the market places your property as far as rates go, but it is the client who decides and approves any rental rate.  We do our best work when we suggest rates based only on market realities and we rely on clients to give input based on their needs.  Higher rates can mean more vacancy and each client decides whether to prioritize low vacancy or high rents.  Our suggestion will be somewhere in the middle.

For most properties tenants set up their own utility accounts and pay for them directly.  It is not advised for our clients to include utilities (other than utilities paid for by condo fees) as this historically complicates and adds stress to tenancies if the tenant is not happy with utilities performance and/or if the tenancy ends up with very high usage.  Tenant responsibility for utilities is the standard.  There are a few exceptions listed below.  We never include TV, Phone, or Internet as this is historically problematic adding undue stress on tenancies.

CONDOS - Most condos include heat and water in fixed condo fees.  In these cases, those utilities are included in the rental rate as is industry standard.

NON CALGARY WATER - Most municipalities outside of Calgary that we manage require the water utility to be held in the name of the titled owner.  In these cases, we have the owner forward UNPAID invoices to us for utilities and we forward these to the tenant for direct payment on these accounts.  Other arrangements like paying the bill and collecting reibursement has proven to be problematic and we avoid this by simplifying.

SUITED UNITS OR SHARED PROPERTY WITH 1 UTILITY READING - For clients who have a suited property with only a single utility meter to be charged to more than one tenancy, we fix monthly utility amounts that each tenant pays.  Other arrangements are always problematic and end up putting undue stress on tenancies.

A benefit of over 15 years of industry experience is having dealt with all types of failed tenancies.  Despite best efforts and practices, tenant non payment or property damage is the risk associated with renting a property and given enough time will be encountered.  We start from a place of partnering with and supporting highly qualified tenants which reduces the need to approach the eviction process.  There are however situations and instances when we have to deal with this.  We have developed over the years a well defined if/then policy and process for dealing with non payment and property damage and it is very effective.  A major benefit for our clients, in a worst case scenario, is that non payment is reduced to up to a few months.  Whereas for a private landlord we often see towards a full year of non payment before the tenancy can be ended.  In most cases we are able to recognize a tenancy that is not working and work with the tenant to help them move on to something that is more sustainable for them.  This is highly nuanced and there are a million ways it can go sideways.  We protect our clients by reducing the likelihood and minimizing the effects of tenancy failure.

The majority of the time property damage that is not normal wear and tear is not purposeful or extensive.  Cooperation is always the best choice and in these cases, tenants will be asked to fix items they damage.  In most cases this happens.  For minor damage that is not fixed by tenants during their tenancy, our detailed condition reports  are used to assess condition pre and post tenancy and new damage on tenant move out is fixed and charged to the tenant's deposit.  We also inspect properties several times a year.  While these inspections are not meant to be comprehensive or in depth in order to keep client costs down, the can identify and target major issues and damage.  If a tenant is, for example, smoking in a property we would treat this very seriously and consider ending the tenancy and repairing the property with security deposit funds.