Management Tips

Reading Time: 3 minutes  Many people ask us how we handle security deposit deductions and damages caused by tenants. For us, this process starts very early even the tenant moving into the property in the first place.   Pre-move in Process     We send them an apartment condition statement form for them to fill out 14 days…

Reading Time: 18 minutes  Every single rental property in Boston needs to be registered, even if you do it short-term rental. The process can either be done in person through paper and check or online. At Green Ocean, we decided to do it online because of the number of properties that we have. It’s nice if you have…

Reading Time: 18 minutesReading Time: 17 minutes   In this article, we will answer one of the most commonly asked questions: When should a landlord hire a property manager? From our experience of working with over 500 landlords, these are the top 10 situations when a landlord decides to hire a property manager.  Table of Contents Toggle Reason #1: Late…

Reading Time: 2 minutes  Package theft is rampant nowadays, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prevent it from happening to you and your tenants. In this article, we will be covering three affordable ways to protect you and your tenants from having packages being stolen at your property.   Tip #1 – Good lighting     There shouldn’t…

Reading Time: 3 minutes  Every investor should have a Dwelling Fire Policy, also known as the landlord’s policy. In this article, we are going to talk about the different types of insurance for condos and the different types of transfer for every type of building as well – The Condo Landlord Insurance Facts You Should Know. Those policies…

Reading Time: 2 minutes  Your property could be one of the most expensive things you own. Stop for a moment and think about another valuable object that you have, whether it has price or sentimental value. Perhaps, it’s a person like one of your children or an item such as a piece of jewelry that’s been passed down…

Reading Time: 9 minutes  In this article, we will be discussing sight unseen rentals. What does that mean? It means when an apartment gets rented by someone who hasn’t seen the apartment in person. A lot of problems can come from this because they haven’t seen the property. They’re going to base upon either pictures, videos, or 3D tours. They…

Reading Time: 11 minutes  During a landlord reference check, we usually ask a lot of questions to make sure that our tenants are screened properly. In this article, we will cover what is a landlord reference and what are the questions that we ask to successfully screen a tenant. Quick Answer: The Must-Ask Questions Did they pay rent…

Reading Time: 2 minutes  One of the most common questions that we get is, “Are landlord and work verification necessary?” Back in the day, anything that we can do to pre-emptively determine if your tenants are going to be a good one or not, we’re going to do it for you. Prior planning prevents poor performance and learning how…

Reading Time: 2 minutes  With so much uncertainty going on in the world today, we are trying to offer our clients and our landlords a little bit more protection. We’ve designed a Property Protection Program (PPP) that allows us to keep you updated with the maintenance cost over the course of a month or a year. With PPP,…

Reading Time: 4 minutes  Are you curious if your tenants should pay the water utilities for your property in Massachusetts? In this article, we will be covering that most commonly asked question by most landlords.   Is it possible for tenants to pay water bills?     In a condo association, water bills are included. However, if you do…

Reading Time: 2 minutes  Tons of prospective landlords always ask us this question: “Can my tenants withhold rent?” The state of Massachusetts is very tenant-friendly. However, there are some guidelines that tenants need to follow if they are going to withhold rent. Read on to know some.   1. A tenant must withhold in separate escrow accounts  …

Reading Time: 3 minutes  In today’s article, we’re going to be covering keys. We already discussed about the master key system in a different session.  So today, we will discuss key fobs.   What is a Key Fob?     Key fobs are the little things that can get you into a building. Instead of using actual keys,…

Reading Time: 4 minutes  Insurance losses will change people’s lives, and whether it means floods or fires, or something that is going to kick a tenant out of the properties, we make sure that we handle the process from start to finish and as quickly and as efficiently as possible.     Why hire a public adjuster?   Every…

Reading Time: 3 minutes  As a property management company for a few hundred investment properties around greater Boston, we have had our share of losses ranging from small to massively big. These insurance losses change people’s lives, whether it is a flood or fire or something that is going to kick a tenant out of the property. We…

Reading Time: 2 minutes  In our previous article, we have shared the best master key systems that allow us to have one key and codes. That makes us not worry about bad cuts or copies of old keys, but that doesn’t mean that old keys don’t still exist. Today, we will discuss key cutting machines and the keys…

Reading Time: 2 minutes  When our clients are looking at a property, they always ask, “What are the things that make this property desirable?”. In this article, we are going to share some of the things that we think make a property desirable.   #1 Convenience       When tenants are picking a property, they consider how far…

Reading Time: 10 minutes  Back in 1978, lead, a metallic substance, was added to paint. It was added because it made paint brighter and more durable. In this article, you will understand how this material that makes our places more beautiful can also affect our health particularly the children.   How can lead removal affect you and your…

Reading Time: 2 minutes  Insurance is one of those topics that nobody really enjoys talking about, much like going to the dentist,  but it is necessary. Having a commercial single family or multi-family property is different than owning and living in it yourself.   Things that you should know about Single and Multi-family Insurance     Typically, single…

Reading Time: 3 minutes  Are you planning to rent your place to international students and workers? Below are some tips and forms needed to be able to do so.   Forms needed during the application process     A person who wants to study or work in the United States would need to apply to either their school…

Reading Time: 3 minutes  One of the most important aspects of owning investment properties is the lease renewal process and property marketing. To do this, you have to start early. The renewal and marketing process has many steps, all of which should be carefully considered and done correctly.   When facilitating the lease renewal and marketing process, we…