I'm trying to get more efficient in how I spend my time operating the LLing business, and one key area is eliminataing or reducing the amount of time I spend doing low dollar value tasks.

Some tasks are harder to quantify than others, but for the sake of discussion, here are three tasks and my current practice that I haven't farmed out to anyone yet that I think could be done more efficiently. Your thoughts on better ways to do them are appreciated:

1) Tenant screening. I do credit check, background check, contact current and past LL for references, and also verify employment. I also check Facebook if I can find them and the online state sex offenders registry site. Maybe a checklist and a VA? Other ideas? Time is 20-30 minutes per applicant unless there is an easy to spot red flag right off the bat (i.e. multiple evictions, insufficient income).

2) Scheduling and following up on repairs. All done via text & phone conversation with handyman who schedules the appointment with tenants. Time is 15-20 minutes.

3) 3x per year inside maintenance checks & filter replacement. Time is 10-15 minutes per visit. Maybe a motivated college student?

Tenant screening: of course I automate as much as possible, but the final decision is going to be mine anyway, so the 20-30 minutes is worth my time. It's a huge important part of the business, not a trivial one.

Scheduling & following up of repairs: text & email with tenants & contractors. Very minimal amount of time UNLESS it's a big thing, then that gets turned over to DH to manage.

I think a VA could handle the majority of the tenant screening and managing the repairs and follow-up. I am likely to move towards that myself. In regards to screening, I would envision that they would put together an information packet for you to review and you would make the final decision.

An option for the maintenance checks would be a trusted handyman. You would want someone who knows a few things about home maintenance/repairs and who could fix minor things while on-site.

Thank you all for the responses so far. To clarify a little...

By "value" I mean that having me do the task vs. someone else doing the task doesn't matter. I cannot add any more value to it than someone else who is willing to do it for a reasonable amount. So the task itself is not unimportant or not valuable, but rather it's a task I prefer to outsource for $20-$30/hour because I am doing things that are making me $200 - $300 / hour. Does that make sense?

Every business that expands faces this dilemma: when do I turn over activity X, Y, or Z to someone else because I have more important things to deal with? To use a totally out of proportion example: I think most of us here agree that it would be silly to have the CEO of Wal-Mart bagging groceries.

I am able to do everything myself when it come to my rentals. Knowledge is important if I decide to farm out some of the work or tasks to others.

The one thing that I will never do is allow someone to "Choose" my tenants. Partners became lazy after the second showing and just would over-look someone's negatives to fill a vacancy. That mistake cost $10,000 in repairs, lost rent and legal fee's.

Even though I'm a licensed contractor, I don't mind having others do much of the grunt work. Painting, flooring, blinds and clean up.

I employ gardeners and weekly pool service companies so they can spy on my tenants and report back any issues. Such as an illegal monster dog, trash build up or extra occupants who are drunks or drug users.

Sid, to me I think we sometimes go overboard with trying to automate every aspect of our jobs. Maybe it will work out, maybe it would be better if we didn't.

Steven VanCauwenbergh challenged people (at the convention a couple of years ago) to come up with something that they would like to automate. Maybe he could be beneficial to you in your quest.

I think you answered your own question for #1. For #2, following up with a checklist/questionnaire for both the tenant and handyman, along with the handyman's pics of before and after work, might accomplish what your trying to do.

Sid,

EVERY LL task is low dollar and can be completed with a checklist.

Marketing, signs, screening, texting lockbox codes, cleaning, mowing, painting, move in/out photos, deposit settlements (I review), autodraft, 3 day texts (I review), bill pay, weekly report, taxes...

You have ONE JOB: make decisions.

You are right 6x6, one of the absolute best features of the tenant screening service offered through this site, (a feature which is not used by many) is that you can modify the credit check screening criteria to suit your own preferences.

Jeffrey, urge the decision makers with the tenant screening service to offer an applicant pays, applicant applies, attaching all pertinent documentation

I agree, Sisco. The only reason I don't use the service here is that I have to get involved with collecting fees, paying fees...I want the tenant to pay directly to the background check provider.

Sisco and WMH, Good News!

I just got off the phone with the "decision makers" of the tenant screening service and shared your request.

And guess what... They are putting into motion the ability to offer the "applicant pay" option to users of the service offered through this site. They said it will take a few months to integrate all the necessary pieces of the puzzle and programming in place, but the request is doable and something they had actually already started to consider.

So there you have it!! The "applicant pay" option, for those landlords who prefer that option, should be available within the next four to six months.

Mike, your comment is a perfect example of where I believe a lot of landlords are making a huge mistake in their thinking (and as a result continually being frustrated).

Your goal should NOT be trying to find someone with your broad skill set, you should be developing CHECKLISTS which puts "your" skill set on paper. Then get individuals to simply follow your checklists.

Jeffrey that is great news!!!! FWIW: with the service I currently use, if the Landlord pays they can choose various levels of reports at various price points, I think starting at $25 maybe? Not sure since I never choose this option.

If the Tenant pays, it's one price - $40 per person - and it's the full boat of reports available: credit, criminal and eviction history. The tenant doesn't get to choose and doesn't know the other report options even exist. It does return with a recommendation of Accept / Conditional Accept / Reject but I make my own call on that.

I've been delighted with the credit check feature on this website; can't wait for the tenant pay feature to arrive. In WI our law permits LL to charge tenant only what the LL pays for application fee, but only up to $20. Will have to check if tenant pay direct differs here.

Recently, I found a tenant who was willing to update (for the better to apply to my target group of applicants, post ads, take inquiry calls or posts, forward all inquiries but recommend the best for me to review with very little instruction. Once I selected those that met my credit requirements (via this website) and my tenant did the virtual showings for her unit. Once I'm able to get virtual showings on tape for all my units, she can forward them, the lease and paperwork to approved applicants also.

I've been delighted with the credit check feature on this website; can't wait for the tenant pay feature to arrive. In WI our law permits LL to charge tenant only what the LL pays for application fee, but only up to $20. Will have to check if tenant pay direct differs here.

Recently, I found a tenant who was willing to update (for the better to apply to my target group of applicants, post ads, take inquiry calls or posts, forward all inquiries but recommend the best for me to review with very little instruction. Once I selected those that met my credit requirements (via this website) and my tenant did the virtual showings for her unit. Once I'm able to get virtual showings on tape for all my units, she can forward them, the lease and paperwork to approved applicants also.

Completely agree that the primary job of a landlord is to make decisions. But to make good decisions I need as much information as possible. That's why I follow up with residents myself. If a repair is beyond my maintenance folks and a pro is required, the pro gets a text from me asking for a short debrief. Maintenance has a checklist to follow and I inspect their checklists. Maintenance techs still get stuck solving problems and it's tempting for them to just check a box thinking it's "Good enough." It may be good enough for them but not good enough for me. I call my inspections portion "Second looks." When the tech knows they'll have second looks I think they pay more attention. Having this type of information helps me make much better decisions form hiring, firing, materials used, vendors used, etc. My business is better for it. Better decisions. Better investments.

BY FAR the best decision I ever made was using management software (Buildium). All rent is collected by ACH and direct deposited. Late reminders and fees are automatically generated. Expirations and renewals automatically displayed. Leases can be e-signed. Online applications make the screening process super easy. I get tenant screening reports for credit, nation-wide criminal & eviction for $18 each and results in 5 min usually. If they pass, then I make calls; confirm employment and references. Waste of time to make calls on someone with an eviction. Maintenance requests are submitted online by tenants. The request form has some great questions for the tenants including if permission is needed before access. If I wanted to I could forward the maintenance request to any vendor I have in Buildium making the repair process almost entirely virtual. Plus residents can upload pictures of the issue. I had no idea how many people like to take pictures of a needed repair or maintenance issue - but they do. And I love it! Those pictures have been priceless. Sometimes I can troubleshoot via text from the picture they submitted. Time saver and money saver.

Jeffrey,

This is a worthy addition, but something that a competing service I already use does - so likely wouldn't switch for. I can tell you something that would make me (and likely others) switch for that is in the same line of thought.

As it stands now, I have a few options:

1) Have tenant pay service directly, which means that they get charged the cost of the screening service.

2) Have the tenant pay me directly, which means I can charge whatever fee I want (including mark up for my time) and then I pay the screening service.

3) Have tenant pay screening service and pay me directly.

#3 is too clunky and makes me appear unprofessional in my opinion. I am trying to move as much towards virtual interaction as possible (even pre covid) so #2 isnt ideal (I prefer payment methods that cant be revoked for prospects).

#1 is what I currently do, because it is the least bad option available, but I think there is a better solution.

I have yet to find a provider that offers my ideal scenario. I would basically be able to set my own price for the background check (with the floor price being whatever the service charges). Any excess that I charge, would be sent to me personally. The caveat would have to be, if something happened (ie tenant did a charge back etc, I would not be responsible. Thats how #1 currently works today. I would be ok with not getting my “overage” on any chargeback, but would not want to pay the bg check fee in that scenario.)

I could setup a third party payment processor, paypal, venmo etc, but then I am on the hook for any chargebacks as I am paying for the screening. Just my thoughts.

James, I just want to make sure I have the right understanding for your ideal dream scenario?

Are you saying that you want the screening company to collect all the money based on "your" required processing fee, screening company keep the part that they require to cover their fee and screening company send you whatever the difference between their fee and whatever the overall required fee you advertised price to the applicants?

Did I get that right?

By the way, let me make sure I also understand something else. You are asking me as a business person to see if this special accommodation can be made for you, who is not even a current customer of the services offered here AND you even admit as new service changes are being made that will at least fully match the services you use now, you still won't switch and become a customer and use the services here??

Jeffrey,

1) It sounds like you have that right. Customizable fee collection in one place does not exist today anywhere that I have seen. This would be a point of differentiation for your service.

James, first let me say that I honestly do appreciate the feedback from an outside perspective. Your idea is indeed an intriguing one that may be worth exploring.

On my second set of questions, I have to admit there was a tinge of snarkiness in it. I sometimes have to fight off cynicism as I get older. I get approached so often by people with ideas on what they would like me to do or offer, who have not taken any effort to at least first show that they are willing to spend a little bit of money with what I am already offering.

Jeffrey,

I can very much appreciate that. My day job is as an Offer Strategy analyst for a large financial firm, so fortunately I get to tweak service/product offers to my heart's content to try and meet the needs of existing customers and prospects alike. In that line of work, I have learned that you can have the absolute best product in the world, but if you miss a single key feature, it invalidates the rest and prospects wont even consider you as a viable product. Again, just my two cents!

P.S. As far as not being an existing customer, but posting suggesting... You may remember many years ago (~7 or so?), I was a brand new member of this forum, but was very uncomfortable posting because the IP addresses were fully exposed. I posted a suggestion raising my concerns and to my amazement, you not only answered, but had the webmaster hide the second half of the IP within a few days of my posting. That was another example of what was a single feature that would have invalidated the rest of this wonderful forum for me (or least the interactive posting part), had you not changed it.