Owner FAQs
Owner Frequently Asked Questions
Sunset Property Management & Realty Owner FAQs is built after many years of successful property management services in San Diego, CA. We have compiled a list of common questions below. If you do not see your question below give us a call. 
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT:
GETTING STARTED:
❖ Property maintenance fees
❖ Tenant Placement or Leasing Fees
❖ Excessive visits to the property
❖ Inspections of the property
❖ Trips to the property to file police reports or meet insurance adjusters
❖ Trips to court to handle litigation with Tenants
We will send you a California Association of Realtors Property Management Contract to review and sign via DocuSign.
If the property is vacant or occupied, we will schedule an Agent Visual Inspection required by the State of California. We carefully go through the entire property to make a list of repairs needed to make the property ready to photograph and market. We will generate and email you an estimate of repair costs for approval and directions prior to commencing.
When a property is Tenant occupied, we contact the Resident/Tenant and schedule for a property evaluation. We go through the property and check for visible leaks, test smoke an CO2 alarms, verify hot water heaters and furnaces are up to code, take photos of property condition, and address any maintenance issues or concerns the Tenant may have.
The first step to change your management company is to read your current Property Management Contract; you can always email your contract to Sunset Property Mgmt. & Realty for us to review with you. Sunset has a pre- written letter that can be edited and delivered to your existing Property Manager spelling out an easy to follow procedure for transferring the property to a new manager, your expectations of them as a Landlord and a formal timeline in which the stages of the transfer should be undertaken. Most Property Management companies do ask for a courtesy 30-day notice of cancellation and other contracts strictly require the same notice. Once your end date with the current PM is determined and a new management agreement is signed with Sunset Property Management & Realty, we will take over by reaching out to the current Property Manager to obtain property files, lease agreements, move-in/move out (MIMO) condition list, photographs, Tenant rent roll(s), Tenant contact information, property financial documents, property keys, accounts payable/vendor lists, recent maintenance work orders and transfer utilities. Tenant Security deposit liabilities, if held by the current Property Manager may be transferred directly to our trust account. Below are the steps/items that will need to be coordinated with the old Property Management company and be passed on to Sunset Property Management & Realty for a smooth transition.
- ❖ Provide Owner with a final financial report along with remaining rents on hand minus agents fees and funds needed to cover all outstanding expenses the manager has incurred in the course of managing the
property. We give the old property manager permission to withhold Owner funds, either all or a portion in reserve for 30 days after the above mentioned termination date in order to make sure all expenses are paid. Owner funds such as those already incurred but not yet invoiced. If the old management company chooses not to hold a reserve they can issue a check for any trust account balance immediately and notice both the Owner and Sunset Property Management. Notification can be sent via United States Postal Service certified mail so that Sunset Property Management (“property manager”) may contact the vendors to get copies of outstanding invoices. - ❖ Provide Owner with the necessary records and documents. This includes a list of Tenant security deposit obligations, copies of leases, applications, credit reports, income verification and other instruments entered into on behalf of the Owner.
- ❖ Transfer security deposits either to the Owner, or the new agent minus the relevant deductions as dictated by the contract.
- ❖ Provide Tenants written notice of the exact dollar amount of the security deposit and inform them that the Owners or the Owners’ new Agent is now responsible for returning their security deposit.
- ❖ Provide Tenant’s written notice that they are no longer managing the property, and provide them contact information for the Owners’ new Agent or designee.
- ❖ Allow a representative from your new agency to retrieve all keys to the property accompanied by a key list if necessary.
- ❖ Lastly, we will require a list of all vendors that service the property and their contact information so that we may coordinate with them and/or choose new ones as we see fit.
Single-family homes: 6% for properties located in close proximity to our office.
Townhomes and Condos: We charge 7% for Townhomes and 8% for Condos since there are often restrictions imposed by the property’s HOA that limit or cause additional time and coordination by the property manager and maintenance crew.
Multifamily Properties: 2-4 units 6%, 5-15 units 5%, 16 units or more 4%.
Most major insurance carriers that provide rental dwelling and Landlord property insurance policies will indemnify and defend Sunset Property Management & Realty if legal action were brought against Sunset Property Mgmt. & Realty or its independent contractors. As additionally insured, the Landlord/Owner’s insurance company would defend Landlord and Property Manager equally. If a Landlord is sued by a Tenant or vendor for an injury on their property, a Property Owner’s insurance company would defend them legally. Your property manager should have the same layer of protection.
The alternative is that Sunset Property Management & Realty would have to ask that our insurance carrier defend us legally. When you have one attorney representing the Tenant, one attorney representing the Landlord/Owner and one attorney representing the Property Management Company, the time, cost and complexity of the legal situation increases drastically. It is better to have one attorney on the team for both the Landlord/Owner and property manager to save time, money and aggravation.
Lock and knob rekey between Tenants, professional photography and ‘for rent’ yard signs, depending on the style. For major agreed to repairs and insurance claims in excess of $1500, a 15% project management fee will be assessed.
Many ask us, do you have an APP for tenants with smartphones, tablets, and other devices? Yes, we do!
Easy way for your tenants to pay rent
One of the easiest ways for your Tenants to pay rent is right in the palm of their hand. The system we use offers an Android and iPhone app as well as online portals you can access on your computers, and tablets as well.
Super easy & convenient
Our mobile App is super easy to use and a great way for Tenants to report maintenance issues, view their payment history, pay rent, and set up recurring payments. Tenants can also be kept in the loop as maintenance repairs progress so they know when to expect vendors to stop by and receive updates on in-process repairs. More info on the Resident Center app can be found here on our Tenant FAQ.
Yes, primarily all agreements and associated documents are signed digitally using Docusign which is signature software used by member of the California Association of Realtors (CAR). If a Tenant or Property Owner has questions and/or would like clarification of the terms of an agreement or contract to be signed, we are happy to make an appointment in our office to sign in person.
Yes, For insurance requirements, security, and liability reasons, the property will be rekeyed by a licensed locksmith. Secured in our office lock box we keep copies of all keys. At each vacancy, Sunset Property Management requires owners to pay for lock rekeying.
No, please do not deactivate any utilities, including electric, water, and trash service (if not provided by the City of San Diego). Utilities being on is essential for vendor work and property marketing. If you’ve had a tenant move out, kindly contact the electric company, water, and trash service providers to ensure the continuity of service in your name during the vacancy.
LEASING:
Our showings are by a DRE Licensed Agent/Realtor. A licensed Agent will meet prospective Tenants at the property to tour the rental.
Send us the applicant’s information and we will assist them with their application. All prospective Tenants must go through our application approval process. Our credit and background checks pull credit history, eviction records and criminal background. We will also complete employment and rental verifications.
We will accept the rental application, complete a credit and background check and receive proof of funds to ensure the applicants meet our rental qualifications. We will also complete an employment and rental history check. Once an application passes our qualifications we will reach out to the Owner for final approval.
All applicants are screened by a licensed Agent certified in California Fair Housing Laws. Ultimately in California, if the applicant(s) pass the rental requirements they must be accepted as a Tenant by the Landlord.
Getting our homes rented fast is key to our success and happy clients. We will draft the listing and have you review it before posting your rental on the internet through a number of different websites, social media, and by using a SEO company in San Diego. All additions and feedback are welcomed by owners to allow a fantastic first impression.
Our goal is to lease your property within 2 weeks of listing it. On average, we look for a minimum of 2 calls per day from prospective renters. After 2 weeks, if the home has not rented, we will contact you to go over rental rate and the interest received. Please keep in mind time of year, price and quality of the home are all factors to be considered. The spring and summer months are prime rental periods in San Diego. Between November and February the rental market rates drop off considerably and vacancy periods lengthen. A home listed during fall and winter months may take longer to rent and will demand a lower monthly rent.
Yes, the Tenant is required to pay Sunset Property Mgmt. & Realty a lease break fee that covers the Tenant placement fee and administration costs to list and show the home at no expense to you. The Tenants are required, by their lease, to continue to pay rent until a new Tenant is qualified, approved and placed. Our lease agreement and house rules cover this procedure that is standard in California.
Property Managers perform a market rent analysis to find out current vacancy rates and rental rates reported by other Property Managers and Brokers. This is accomplished by looking at asking rates on listing websites and by calling listings of other brokers and inquiring about actual rental rates, unit condition and days on market. Sunset Property Management & Realty places great importance on call/email/contact volume since there is a lot to learn from the interest level, communication, and feedback from prospective renters; they are out there looking at inventory and are often a great source of information and pricing. If the unit is priced correctly, you should receive 1-2 contacts per day in the high seasons, April – mid October. It’s difficult to predict rental rates in the off-season October – March, however, Landlords should be prepared to have to play the market a little more which can lead to rate decreases or move in specials of some sort.
Our Tenant Placement Fee is $450 per vacant unit leased. Professional photos are additional. We provide FREE H-frame ‘For Rent’ signs, but if you choose to have a professional Realtor T-sign for each vacancy, that is $75 per lease. Typically, the professional sign is used for single-family homes, 2 to 4 unit buildings and apartments.
We have 2 vendors that we use for drone/ariel photography. Ask us about our vendors that offer video tours by request by Owner. Traditionally we find that the best way to show your property to prospects on the internet is making a slideshow, using photos plus a few ariel shots.
We can do that for you. Keeping to the facts is important when writing an ad, and we do that. Less fluff tends to get more leads because people want to know what they are going to be renting and what is in it before they even see the property in person or apply. The more information that is available, the better the chances are of getting your next great Tenant! We also send our ads to Landlords for approval prior to posting on the internet rental websites. Contact us for our professional San Diego Property Management services to get your new listing done right.
Sunset Property Management & Realty is a full-service Brokerage capable of listing and selling your property for you. We will also help you purchase a new one if the situation calls for it. Listing your rental for sale while occupied is not uncommon in San Diego. Sunset Property Management & Realty offers this service at a reduced fee of 4.5% for our existing Property Management clients. Once a listing agreement has been executed, Sunset Property Management & Realty will contact your Tenants to explain that the property is going to be listed for sale. We will work with the Tenants to decide on a mutually beneficial showing schedule for the listing period to assure that the relationship with the Tenants remains professional and considerate of the Tenant’s schedule. Our team will work with buyer agent(s) and the Tenants to coordinate access to the property for prospective buyers. The Tenant’s lease does remain in effect unless an agreement is reached between the seller / buyer and the Tenant for an early lease termination.
Our company has had low turnover and our team members administrate different aspects of the management process. During the course of our Property Management relationship, you can expect to interact with our team.
Q – Are There Fees When the Property Has No Tenants?
No, Sunset Property Management & Realty never charges when the property is vacant.
Our policy has been to charge at least one month’s rental rate. This amount should cover most cleaning costs and damages. The damages incurred tend to follow directly in line with the credit and income of the Tenant, which is why our screening leads to Tenants that treat the property well and have a lower tendency to leave the property in need of major cleaning and repairs.
Some Owners have certain criteria they require and that they want the Tenants to adhere to. A few examples are: Renters Insurance required, No smoking or vaping allowed on the property, No open fires allowed, etc. Often communities with HOAs have a lot of the same rules in the CCRs (Covenants, Codes, and Restrictions). In both respects, we post Sunset’s House Rules into the Tenant portal so they can be viewed anytime. Each Owner receives a word doc copy of the house rules, so they can customize them to their properties’ needs.
Usually, our leases are for 12 months and run Summer to Summer when vacancy times are the shortest, this also allows us to capture the highest rental rates which are in the summer. If we are attempting to lease a property in the off-season (winter for example), then we may create a 6 or 18-month lease which creates a summer lease expiration. Some Tenants have been “grandfathered in” with their old lease from another management company/Owner. New leases are written for up to 12 months.
We will schedule an Initial Meeting Consultation with you at your property to discuss your needs, goals and concerns including:
❖ Rentability: We will inspect your property and let you know what needs to be done to get it into rent ready condition.
❖ Rental Valuation: Perform a rental analysis on your property to determine the market rate.
❖ Set a Leasing Goal: We set a target date for when we expect to lease your property.
- Professionally Photograph Property: Golden Lens Media or Preview First. (Price based on Vendor and service)
- Advertising: Your property will be listed on over 15 of the top rental websites.
- Signage: Rental signs and marketing will be posted on your property. There is a sign placement fee of$75 for professional Realtor T signs or a free H frame corrugated double sided yard sign.
- Prompt response to all inquiries: All inquiries for your property are answered within 24 hours at the latest.
- Personalized Property Showings: Your property will be shown by appointment by one of our qualified agents.
- Leasing Updates: You will be contacted by our leasing agent to discuss the activity on your property.
- Tenant Screening & Qualifying: See our detailed process on this on next page
- Negotiation & Lease Terms: All negotiations are handled by Sunset Property Management and by the direction of the Property Owner.
- Prepare Lease & Guide: You and your Tenant will be guided through the signing of the lease for your property.
- Lease Packet: We create and provide you with an electronic lease packet which includes:
- Rental lease and supporting documents.
- Applications, credit reports and income verification.
Sunset Property Management & Realty charges a Tenant Placement Fee of 1⁄2 of one month’s rent (min. $950). There are no Advanced Fees due. The commission is earned when a lease is signed, and a Tenant occupies your property.
Applying
We do not charge an application fee. Applying is FREE! Applicants can apply online at: https://sunsetspm.com/apply and fill it out carefully with as much information as possible.
Some things to note:
❖ We do verify the applicant’s current rental history & employment information provided in the application.
❖ Every person planning on living in the home over the age of 18 must also fill out an application and complete a credit/background check and provide income verification.
❖ If cosigners are allowed for a certain property they will need to also fill out an application and go through this same process as well. We prefer not to accept co-signers.
Income & Credit Qualifications
All Tenants must earn at least three times the rental rent (combined income). These are the forms of income we accept:
❖ We do not accept co-signers.
❖ Liquid assets (cash in the bank).
❖ Income and assistance vouchers (Section 8 & others).
❖ School financial aid, loans, and BAH.
❖ Debt to income ratio below 32%.
❖ Prospective Tenant(s) must earn a minimum gross income of 3 times the rent in a combined total.
❖ Must have a good credit score/history with a FICO score greater than 700.
❖ A credit check is required and is done through TransUnion. (They charge $30 per application. We receive no funds from this, the fee goes directly to Transunion.)
Proof Of Income
The types of documents you can use are good CLEAR digital photos and/or PDF files or scanned photos of any one of these:
❖ Two most recent pay stubs from the applicant’s job or Military LES statements.
❖ Letter from HR stating how much the applicant will be making.
❖ Last 3 months of bank statements showing deposits made.
❖ If the applicant is a student they may also send in scanned documentation from financial aid, school grants, or loans showing how much they will be receiving.
❖ Section 8 & other housing vouchers are accepted as a form of income, however, the applicant’s income qualifications remain 3 times the rental rate including Section 8 vouchers.
Are you wanting to know may I require a non-refundable deposit for cleaning or pets?. No, California law states non-refundable deposits are illegal. Learn More
Yes, eviction protection is a guarantee that after passing our screening guideline, should the situation arise where the Tenant needs to be removed through Unlawful Detainer or some other instrument of law, Sunset will pay for the first $1250 in related expenses. All applicants are screened by Transunion for credit and criminal history along with rental and employment verification. We are confident that our Tenant screening guidelines and processes are sound; as a result, we are able to choose highly qualified Tenants. We do not offer eviction protection to a Landlord for Tenants that did not complete our screening approval process.
There are several steps to get your property ready for the camera. First, professional cleaning is essential. The high resolution camera equipment used by our photographers tend to spot dirt, smudges and dust easily. We find the best types of photos are unfurnished. Why? So people can have a chance to imagine their furnishings in different arrangements and locations inside the home. Proper lighting helps show off your asset more than you would think, this means taking photos in the afternoon and using lighting equipment. We have relationships with several vendors for both cleaning & photography services.
Our rental hold policy fluctuates throughout the year based on the rental season. During the Spring and Summer months May – August max hold time is 2 weeks. In the off-season September – April maximum hold time is 3 weeks. The hold time begins on the date of approval. An approved applicant is required to place a holding deposit and sign a lease before a property hold begins.
New tenants are responsible for transferring the utilities they are accountable for starting from their lease commencement date. It is important to coordinate the transfer to ensure a seamless transition and uninterrupted utility services.
Start by getting a free rent estimate here https://sunsetspm.com/free-rental-analysis/ Schedule an onsite and in-person Property Consultation so we can assess your property. You will be provided with a rent estimate within an approximation based on a rental analysis of recently leased properties. Rental activity is stronger in the Summer than in the winter months in San Diego.
Historically for most properties, the average is two to three weeks from the time of listing till a signed lease.
MAINTENANCE:
If your property has a licensed, insured gardener we will work with them and pay them from the property income. If you do not currently have a licensed insured gardener, you may talk to us about our trusted vendors.
If your property has a licensed, insured pool service technician we will work with them and pay them from the property income. If you do not currently have a licensed insured pool service technician, you may talk to us about our trusted vendors.
Yes, you may use your own contractors. Andrew D. Grinnell, Owner of Sunset Property Management & Realty, holds CA General Contractor License. Over the years he has worked with hundreds of contractors. From this experience, he can help select the contractor that fits your needs. The contractors we use provide quality workmanship and competitive pricing, so if the contractor selected by the Owner is not up to par, then they will not be granted the work. Further, all contractors must be licensed, carry workers compensation insurance, general liability insurance, carry a CSLB bond, have at least 5 years full time experience in the industry, and provide 3 prior work-related references.
We are willing to try someone recommended by the Property Owner; this is often times how we find quality vendors and contractors to work with in the future. If you would like us to consider using your contractor, please provide us their contact information when you complete your Owner Information Sheet so we can meet with them at your property for a bid or proposal.
Yes, if the property is vacant, Owners can make repairs and coordinate with vendors to turn the property and make the vacant unit rent ready. An agreement must be reached in advance, guaranteeing the property will delivered by Owner to Management by a certain deadline date and in complete rent ready condition. We do not work with or alongside an Owner who is doing their Owner vacant turn. We will ask that you do 100% of the work or leave the rent ready work to Sunset Property Maintenance and its trusted vendors. Once a lease is signed for the dwelling, we will require that we use only our preferred vendors so that we can guarantee that deadlines are met for move in dates.
Routine services and repairs should fall within a range of standard pricing that we have agreed to with our vendors. It is our years of on the job experience coordinating repairs and construction that allows us to know roughly what specific services should cost. In general, we do not need to get multiple bids for routine maintenance: carpet cleaning, small painting projects, small repairs, landscape cleanup and more. It is part of our management service to select the vendor that can do the best work at the best price.
For insurance claims, major renovation projects and repairs greater than $1500 or capital improvement projects like replacing an AC unit or system, replacing a roof, large painting projects; 3 or more bids/proposals will be collected and reviewed by one of the licensed CA General Contractors in our office.
Yes, we inspect each property and all buildings annually. These inspections are what we call our Annual Maintenance Inspection or AMI. Landlords are billed at the maintenance rate for these visits $60/hour. We record each inspection in notation format along with photographs, if necessary. Work orders are generated from the inspection if need be and the items in need of repair are discussed with the Property Owner, assuming they are going to total $350 or greater.
No, parts are not marked up. We do charge a straight rate of $70/hour and pay the workers a lesser amount. The margin covers administration costs for preparing weekly payroll as well as insurance coverages like Commercial General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, and Additional Employee & Non-employed vendor claims coverage costs.
Sunset Property Management & Realty has a sister company, Sunset Property Maintenance which only provides maintenance for the properties that we manage. The maintenance technicians work for Sunset Property Maintenance only and are full time. Please see our trusted vendor list.
Rekeying the home is the first thing you should consider when turning over the unit to a new Tenant for various reasons such as security and more. Secondly, we find making sure all plumbing fixtures are not in need of service. Interior and exterior paint should be looked over. Check for normal wear and tear, which can be easily fixed with some touch-up paint. Maintenance of the property and appliance repairs/replacement might need to be looked into as well especially if it had been a long term Tenant. Have a move in move out sheet prepared for the next Tenant to mark down any damage or repairs that might’ve been missed when the first inspection happened. Now you are ready to have your property advertised and get your next Tenant ready to move into your great looking, comfortable unit. We can help you with finding the right vendor for this service as we have a select few. Ask about this when you contact us about our San Diego Property Management services.
It depends on the scope of the repairs needed. Our team at Sunset Property Maintenance will attempt to repair first or advise our office that a vendor will need to be involved, from there we can typically obtain a free estimate from our vendors within a couple of days.
The cashflow funds for the property on hand are used to pay vendors for any work performed. If additional funds are required, our clients will have access to an owner portal where they can deposit funds into their trust account.
Tenant caused damages other than normal wear and tear.
At move out the cleaning of the home and carpet cleaning.
We have an emergency line available 24/7 for tenants to call for any maintenance emergency. During normal business hours, tenants will use their tenant portal to submit maintenance requests with pictures and a description of the issue.
ACCOUNTING:
Yes, Sunset Property Management & Realty collects rent either by ACH or paper check from the Tenant on a monthly basis between the 1st and 3rd and the funds are deposited into a rental Owner Trust account. Sunset Property Management & Realty will pay all property related bills and expenses other than Mortgage and HOA payments. Owner draws are distributed to you by ACH minus our Property Management Fee and any other property related expenses.
Yes, we do accept rent by check, cashier’s check and money order. Only about 10-15% of our Tenants pay this way. We have an in-office bank certified check scanner to process these payments in-house.
Rent is always due on the 1st of the month. We offer a 2 day grace period. If rent has not been received by the 3rd of the month, we will contact the Tenant. Many times, the Tenant’s online payment is processing or the payment is in transit by the USPS. If rent is not received by the 5th of the month, we will post a 3-day notice to pay or quit and charge a 6% late fee. If rent has not been collected before the 3-day pay or quit expires we will contact you to go over options, either begin the eviction or work out a deal with the Tenant. If we do not receive the rent after the 3-day notice is up, our Owners are notified. We will give you our recommendation on how to best proceed. Options include moving forward with the eviction process or working out a deal with the Tenant.
Sunset Property Management & Realty holds the Tenants’ security deposit in the Brokers’ trust account until the Tenant’s move out repairs are completed and/or damages are accounted for. The security deposit must be returned to the Tenant within 21 days of their move out date.
Yes, the following are examples of the types of bills we pay: Water utilities, gas and electric utilities, property tax bills, insurance premiums, landscaping, pest control, cleaning and hauling, appliance repairmen, vendors, electricians, plumbers, contractors and more.
We do not pay mortgages or HOA bills. Included with your Management service fee, we will pay your other bills using the property reserve or property income.
These are just a few of the most often viewed reports by property owners.
Financial Reports
• Cash flow statement: Changes in cash by the property during a specified time frame.
• Income statement: Income and expenses by the property during a specified time frame.
• Property statement: Beginning and ending cash balances by the property during a specified time frame.
• Rental owner ending balances: Rental Owners’ ending asset balances, including property reserves and held liabilities by property as of a specific date.
• Vendor ledger: Bills and payments charged to specific vendors during a specified time frame.
Rental Reports
• Current tenants: Current tenants by property.
• Delinquent tenants: Tenants with outstanding ledger balances as of a specific date.
• Leases ending: All leases that will end during a specified time frame.
• Leasing agent: All draft leases are activated during a specified time frame by the property and leasing agent.
• Rent paid: Rent balance due by property and tenant, i.e. lease date, recurring charges, credit, previous payments, and previous balances.
• Rent roll: Rent balance due by property and tenant, i.e. lease date, market rent, recurring rent, credit, and deposits held.
• Renters insurance: All insured units.
• Tenant statement: Tenants’ charges, credits, and payments by the property during a specified time frame.
• Unit listings: Rental listings by property.
• Vacant units: Vacant units by property.
• Event History: Saved event history by the property during a specified time frame.
Transaction
• Bank transactions: A bank account’s detailed transaction history by the property during a specified time frame.
• Check details: Check details by bank account during a specified time frame.
• ePay activity: Electronic fund transfers (EFTs) by bank account during a specified time frame.
• Retail Cash activity: Retail Cash transfers by bank account during a specified time frame.
• Scheduled EFTs: Next scheduled electronic fund transfers (EFTs) by property.
• Transaction details by account: Debits and credits for a general ledger account during a specified time frame.
• Unpaid bills by property or by vendor: Unpaid bills and unused credits by property as of a specific date.
Task
• Completed tasks: Completed tasks by property, assignee, and task type during a specified time frame.
• Open tasks: Open tasks by property, assignee, and task type during a specified time frame.
• Work orders: Work orders by property, assignee, work order type, and the status during a specified time frame.
We typically direct our clients to their Owner portal where they can view detailed notes and numerical totals of income/expenses, cash flow, bank transactions, check details and more. Specific questions can be answered by our licensed property managers. You are more than welcome to reach out to us anytime with your questions to our email: info@sunsetspm.com or call (619) 739-1883 to get your questions answered as soon as possible.
Within the same month, rent is collected, on the 16th of each month we deposit rental owner income directly into your bank account via ACH.
We collect a security deposit equal to one month’s rent. Security deposit stays in a liabilities account until the funds are returned to the tenant after deductions for tenant-caused expenses.
Yes, each property depending on size and units will have a cash reserve to pay for expenses. This cash is still within the owner’s trust funds but stays in the account at the conclusion of each month.
Purpose. Use Form 588, Nonresident Withholding Waiver Request, to request a waiver from withholding on payments of California source income to nonresident payees. The broker is required to withhold 7% of the rental income monthly and submit this withholding on a quarterly basis to the State of California Franchise Tax Board.
Yes. 3 months before the lease expiration date, we will contact you about renewing the lease. Typically we recommend increases of 5-7% annually depending on the market.
GENERAL QUESTIONS:
For a monthly management fee, Sunset Property Management & Realty performs the following duties:
❖ Rent collection
❖ Disburse owner funds
❖ Keep accurate reports for your property and provide monthly statements
❖ Act as the sole point of contact for the Tenant at your property
❖ Deal with Tenant delinquency, all the way through eviction (if necessary)
❖ Correspond with the Tenant regarding notices of violation or other issues
❖ Available 24/7 to handle emergency repairs at the property
Sunset Property Management has been in business in San Diego since 2010. The owner, Andrew D Grinnell, is a Real Estate Broker & General Contractor and has been in the residential investment property business in San Diego since 2001. Sunset Property Management is a customer focused firm that offers Property Management, realty services, maintenance and leasing services to over 150 clients and more than 400 properties, including residential and mixed-use properties.
Staying hyper local and not trying to cover a huge territory. Costs related to gas, man hours, and maintenance/repairmen all add to the bottom line: that’s why we stay local. We also don’t have a front desk person. When you call you get Andrew (Broker/Owner) or Greg (Maintenance Manager) or Nate (Tenant and Leasing Manager). Carrie (Marketing Coordinator) runs the marketing and listings. We have had no turn over ever, so you always have experienced people on your side.
Commercial General Liability Insurance: an insurance policy that affords liability coverage to businesses in the event a claim arises for bodily injury, personal injury and property damage caused by business operations, consumer products, or bodily injury on the business premises.
Workers Compensation: insurance provided to an employer for wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured on the job. Since many management companies do not solely have employees, rather they employ a mix of employees and independent contractors, this type of coverage provides benefits in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee’s right to sue their employer for the tort of negligence.
Errors & Omissions insurance (E & O Insurance): professional business liability insurance designed to protect companies and their workers, or individuals against claims made by Tenants or clients for inadequate paperwork or negligent actions. Terrorism & Employment Practices Insurances.
Residential properties under 20 units in Central San Diego only. Our portfolio has an even mix of Condos, Townhomes, 2-4 Unit properties and Apartment Buildings. We also manage various mixed-use properties that have a blend of commercial retail or office and residential units on one property or in a single building.
About 15-20% of our portfolio is deployed or out of Country. Another 25% or so are out of state Owners. With the help of the online Owner portal, Landlords can participate at a distance by communicating directly with their Property Manager, view reports as well as see activity and notes related to their property through an online/cloud-based system.
Learn more about how wide of a geographical area does your company cover with Sunset Property
We will manage residential and mixed-use properties within 10-15 miles of our office located on Morena Blvd, just parallel to the 5 highway and directly East of Mission Bay. Learn More
All of our properties are located within a 10 – 15 mile radius around our office. We prefer to be experts in our area; in addition, we only service the the following Zip codes (click to view) for efficiency and cost reasons:
Sunset Property Management & Realty does not offer short term vacation or furnished rental management. Tenants are not allowed to sublease/sublet a unit they are renting on vacation rental websites; if they do it is in violation of our house rules and their lease.
Yes, the majority of our Tenants pay their rent online. They can also submit maintenance requests, general questions, view their HOA documents, lease documents and other property related forms via their Tenant portal. The Owner portal is a cloud based platform where we publish monthly financial statements. Owners can also send us money for repairs and download important documents such as financial reports, billing statements, maintenance notes and lease data.
No, the Tenants’ lease agreement is a legally binding bilateral contract. If you and the Tenant agree on terms of an early lease termination, only then can a move out date may be determined.
Previous occupants should forward their mail to their new address. To start this process, fill out a Change of Address form through USPS at https://www.usps.com/manage/forward.htm
Additionally, remember to update your mailing address on other accounts, such as Amazon.
The term is one year for institutional reasons. However, if you are not happy with our services, the agreement may be canceled at any time with 30 days’ notice.
Services included/excluded
As part of our overall service, we do all functions for disbursing owner funds, collecting rents, producing accurate reports and monthly statements, handling tenant delinquency, evictions, communications with tenants about violations, 24×7 availability for emergency repairs, and acting as the sole contact point with tenants. Things excluded from the property management service are property inspections, excessive visits to the property, tenant placement, property maintenance fees, court appearances involved with tenant litigation, and handling police reports or meeting with insurance adjusters.
One of the most useful services we provide to owners and tenants alike is our Owner/Tenant Portal. Most of our San Diego tenants choose to pay their rent online through that portal. It’s also very convenient for submitting maintenance requests, general questions, and leasing documents. The owner will be able to view monthly financial statements through the portal, and also to send us the funding for repairs. Important documents such as financial reports, maintenance notes, leasing data, and billing statements can all be viewed and printed from this handy portal.
Getting a property rented out
Most property owners have a keen interest in knowing how long it will take to get their property rented, and we do everything possible to establish tenancy as quickly as possible. In all cases, we strive to have your property leased within two weeks of its initial listing, and we hope to get at least two calls each day from candidate tenants. After those two weeks have expired, and if the property has not yet been rented, we will contact you as the owner to discuss the level of interest which has been expressed, and the rental rate which has been established.
In some cases, the length of time necessary to have a place rented will depend on the time of year, the rental rate, and the quality of the rental property. Property management San Diego recognizes that the best rental periods in the San Diego area are the spring and summer months, and market interest drops off considerably between the months of November and February. It is entirely possible that a lower monthly rental fee must be imposed during the off months so as to avoid a longer vacancy.
We are often asked how properties are shown to prospective tenants, and in our case all property management San Diego showings are handled by a DRE-licensed agent or realtor. This individual will meet with all candidate tenants at the property, and conduct them on a thorough tour of the premises, so they know all its features and benefits.
Legal procedures
In situations where owners or landlords wish to rent to friends or family members, we will do everything possible to help those individuals through the process. However, every potential tenant must go through our established application approval process. This means that their credit and background check will be examined, as well as any criminal background or eviction records they may have accumulated. It will also be necessary to verify their employment status as well as previous rental history.
In a related area, it is illegal to exclude a tenant on any basis other than their legal eligibility, based on meeting all necessary requirements of tenancy. When any potential tenant passes all the rental requirements imposed, California law mandates that they must be accepted as a tenant by the landlord. In order to pass all rental requirements, they will be subjected to the normal credit and background check, they must demonstrate proof of funding, and they must have verifiable employment and rental history.
Some owners have wished to impose a non-refundable deposit on tenants in case the premises are left in a state of disarray and cleaning is required. In some cases, damage might also be caused by pets, for instance urine smells and stains in the carpeting. However, according to California state law, all non-refundable deposits are considered illegal, and no kind of non-refundable deposit can be imposed on any tenant for any reason.
Military discount for new property owner clients
We service the Central San Diego region, chances are we can manage your property for you if you’re somewhere within the city borders. There are 20 zip codes within our service areas. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about our property management services. We’ll also be glad to provide you with a quote. We are one of the premier San Diego property management companies, let us prove it to you!
These are the websites where we list our rental properties.
