Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to our most frequently asked questions.
- Who lists my property for rent when I need a tenant?
- How do I know if I’m getting a good tenant?
- What happens if the tenant doesn’t pay the rent?
- Who collects the rent?
- What happens to the tenant’s security deposit?
- Am I informed of all repairs you make on my property?
- How do I know the repair people you hire will do quality work?
- What happens if there is an emergency?
- How often will you inspect my home?
- Are there any hidden fees?
Who lists my property for rent when I need a tenant?
Most property management firms in the Northern Virginia area use “sales” agents when their rental properties must be listed. This can be a real disadvantage because while these agents may be experts in the sales venue they typically have little or no experience with rentals, and sales and rentals are very different markets. At WJD, your home is listed by WJD’s broker David Norod, an expert in the rental venue with more than 30 years of experience in pricing and marketing rental property.
How do I know if I’m getting a good tenant?
There are four pieces of information that we gather in order to create a profile of all applicants for your property. These include written verification of employment, verbal landlord references if they are currently renting, Equifax credit reports and a spreadsheet analysis of debt to income ratios. Our recommendation to accept or not accept an applicant is based on this data.
What happens if the tenant doesn’t pay the rent?
We follow a strict procedure which includes legal notice of contract breach, personal contact with the tenant in an effort to work things out and ultimately a court hearing, judgment and eviction if necessary. If it becomes clear that the tenant is unable or unwilling to pay any more rent, we get them out of your home as quickly as the law permits so that we may find a new tenant and restore the income stream.
Who collects the rent?
WJD Management collects all rental payments from tenants. Your residual funds are disbursed on the 6th of each month (excepting weekends and holidays) providing we have received payment from the tenant.
What happens to the tenant’s security deposit?
All security deposits are placed in a separate escrow account where they remain until the tenant moves out. Deposits minus any damage noted are refunded within 30 days of the end of the tenancy as required by their lease.
Am I informed of all repairs you make on my property?
Our management agreement includes emergency service consent as well as authorization of non-emergency repairs up to $350. For repairs estimated to exceed this threshold, no work is initiated without your express approval.
How do I know the repair people you hire will do quality work?
With few exceptions, the contractors we use are smaller, family owned firms that we have worked with for many years. We prefer these companies to the larger ones because of their dedication to customer service and attention to detail. In addition, the volume of work we provide them assures us of priority response and very competitive prices.
What happens if there is an emergency?
All tenants go through orientation in our office before they are handed the keys to your home. We review the contents of our Tenant Handbook© with them with particular attention devoted to the section regarding emergencies. Tenants are encouraged to take a proactive approach not only to emergencies but to routine maintenance items as well. They are also given a Property Condition Report which among other things identifies the location of the main water shut-off valve, circuit breakers or fuses, gas meter, etc. Lastly, tenants are provided with our 24-hour emergency number in the event there is a problem that can’t wait until the next business day.
How often will you inspect my home?
At the beginning of each new tenancy, a 12-page Property Condition Report© is completed which provides us and tenants with a detailed summary of the condition of your home. Based on the date the lease commences, our software is programmed to tell us to inspect your property every six months until the lease ends. Our property inspector completes a written report of the interior and exterior condition of the home at each interval and will also visit the property to address any questions the tenants may have about how things work, to inspect major repairs or as the occasion dictates. These reports are made available to you online as they are completed.
Are there any hidden fees?
No! Your monthly management fee entitles you to all of our comprehensive professional property management services. We do not mark up our contractors’ invoices or any HOA or condo payments we make on your behalf and we do not charge an additional fee for performing inspections, orchestrating evictions or for filing insurance claims for you as many of our competitors do. Best of all, we are so confident that you will find our services suited to the scope of your needs that we do not have an “Early Termination Penalty” in our management agreement.
Ready to get started? First, let’s get to know each other. You can get started with WJD in one of two ways:
- If you’d like to learn more about our services, simply view Our Management Program. Here you will find our fee schedule, directions to our office, an introduction to the WJD staff and testimonials from our clients. There are also samples of our management agreement and lease, a sample monthly statement and a sample year-end summary.
- If you’re ready to rent your home, jump right in and take advantage of our exclusive Rental Market Analysis. We’ll email you a free custom assessment of the rental value of your Northern Virginia home from WJD’s Principal Broker, David Norod.