OWNERS FAQS

  • • OWË uses an honest and transparent pricing structure as follows:
    - Full-Service Management is 8% of monthly rent.
    • We provide discounts for managing multiple units.
    • The Leasing Fee is equal to one full month’s rent.
    • Our Lease Renewal Fee is $350.00, and includes a market and tenant analysis.

  • Inspections - In addition to our standard lease-cycle inspections, we strongly advise that you have your unit inspected twice a year by a third-party inspector.

  • Yes! Please give us a call!
    202-930-3135
    rentals@owerealestate.com

  • • At our first meeting, we will present a competitive market analysis. This includes market conditions and similar units that are actively being rented and recently rented.
    • The time it takes for each property to rent is specific to that property and depends on many factors. Some are:
    - Market conditions
    - Pricing
    - Condition of the property
    - Marketing Efforts
    • Marketing - OWË casts the biggest net! We can market your property further and wider than most.
    - We cooperate with other agents
    - We list your property on over 130 websites

  • • We specialize in single family homes, single condominiums/cooperative units, apartment buildings, row homes and small commercial buildings.
    • Please note that we do not manage homes with chronic repair issues or conditions that might adversely affect the health and/or safety of a tenant.

  • OWË is headquartered in Washington, DC, and we manage all areas in Washington, DC including the surrounding urban areas of Maryland and Virginia. We also manage areas in Miami Florida, Orlando Florida and Barbados. To effectively manage your property, we need to be able to reach it easily. Give us a call -- even if you may be out of our managing area. We have established relationships with other management companies all over the region and would be happy to give you a referral.

    202-930-3135
    rentals@owerealestate.com

  • • We will set up a marketing campaign specific to your property. The campaign evolves based on many factors including market conditions, competition, occupancy/vacancy, time of year and other considerations.
    • We update you weekly on our marketing efforts and make suggestions to improve your property’s attractiveness.

    Our weekly updates include:
    • The number of showings completed and scheduled
    • Feedback from the showings
    • Market conditions/competition update
    • Make-ready update

    Included in our leasing fee are:
    • Professional photographs of the property
    • Video walkthrough of the property
    • 3-D floor plans

    Our advertising includes:
    • Signage (if allowed)
    • Advertising at the property/neighbors with flyers, mailers or email (if we have them)
    • We will list your property for rent on over 130 of the most popular rental sites. A sampling of those sites includes:
    - Our Website
    - Zillow
    - Trulia
    - Hot Pads
    - Apartments.com
    - Bright MLS
    - And many more!

  • • We have a team of maintenance technicians in-house, and we also have a deep-bench of third-party vendor and contractor relationships. Our vendors and contractors are able to charge us less for the same work due to the volume of business that we do with them, and we always pass along those savings to you!
    • Our in-house technicians are approximately $65 per hour (with some minor variation) --which is much less expensive than single-trade contractors, like plumbers and electricians, charge for their work. We save our owners money by using OWE technicians for most of the multi-trade and make-ready tasks.
    • Another benefit of using OWE technicians is the opportunity for us to observe the general condition of the property at every visit.

  • Yes! We are happy to add your contractor to our list of vendors if they meet our criteria. The criteria are as follows:
    - They must be licensed and bonded.
    - They must respond timely.
    - Their workmanship must meet our standards.

    • We will make the contractor you choose your ‘preferred vendor’ for your property. We will assign the work to your contractor as long as they respond promptly and are able to attend to the issues in the timeframe we provide.
    • Tenants and Owners judge us by how well we handle maintenance, so we expect our vendors to perform. We have policies in place to achieve the best possible resolution to any problems that may arise.
    • All vendors are surveyed by the tenant once the work is completed and we use those surveys to rate every vendor on a constant basis.

  • • Repairs estimated to be less than $500 are paid out of the collected rent. If the estimated price exceeds that amount, we will reach out to you for approval of the expense first.

    However, we do act promptly and on your behalf without first notifying you, for all emergency issues that may exceed the maintenance limit during certain types of issues. Examples of these types of issues include:
    • Emergencies affecting the health and safety of the tenant
    • Anticipated damage to the property without action
    • Violations of housing laws

    • If the amount of repair exceeds what is in the owner’s escrow account, we will contact the owner to contribute. This can be done electronically through the owner portal.
    • Reccurring expenses and known future expenses will be held in reserve in the owner’s account.

  • • Rent proceeds are sent directly to the owner’s bank account electronically. The owner will be notified by email when the transfer has been made.
    • Statements are posted in your Owner Portal on or before the 1st day of every month. The statement reflects activity in your account for the preceding month.
    • Statements include copies of bills, work orders and inspections.
    • You will be notified by email when your statement is posted in the portal.
    • You may log into your Owner Portal to view your current and historic monthly statements.

  • • Our interests are aligned with the interests of the property owner. We offer a large leasing commission to licensed agents as well. Our goal is to get the property rented as quickly as possible at the highest rent possible while securing the best tenant.
    • We don't charge a management fee to our landlords unless we collect rent.
    • As a full-service management company, we handle every aspect of managing your property.