Owner FAQs
Aren’t all property management companies basically the same?
No. Some property management companies offer only limited services for discounted pricing; some firms are designed for owners who like to be very involved in the day-to-day management of their homes; and some firms, such as Hawk Management, are full-service firms designed to handle ALL aspects of the property management experience.
How long has Hawk Management been in business?
Hawk Management was established in 2013. We service real estate investors and residents in the Los Angeles area. We combine 'old school' customer service (we actually return phone calls) with the most up to date technology.
Is Hawk Management the best option for every real estate investor?
No. We are a relationship-first based property management business, and we work with owner-clients who are looking for a full-service experience.
Can I negotiate or change the terms of the management agreement?
No. Our property management agreement is designed to give our owner-clients maximum flexibility (it is a month-to-month term with NO termination fees or penalties). It is also designed to allow us to serve our owner-clients with a consistent, high-quality, full-service management experience every time.
What local and federal laws do I need to be aware of before I rent out my house?
There are multiple laws governing rental real estate including federal and state fair housing, habitability laws, tenant rights laws, applicant screening, rent-ready standards, and more. We ensure your property, and the management experience is fully compliant with ALL rules, regulations, and laws.
Can I get some client references?
Any company can find a few clients to say something nice about them. The BEST way to research a company is to review independent reviews. Click here to view our online reviews
How much do you charge?
Please see our page on pricing to see our fair and transparent pricing (with no hidden fees!): www.hawkmgmt.com/pricing.html
How do you advertise my rental property?
Our extensive and proven marketing program attracts high quality applicants from a variety of sources. Our management software syndicates with approximately 50 different websites.
How long Is your management contract?
Our property management contracts are on a month-to-month basis. We do not believe in holding anybody hostage. We want you to be satisfied with our service and chose to stay with us month after month.
What areas do you service?
Our primary service area is Los Angeles County and anything within an hour and a half drive from our office located at 6700 Fallbrook Ave. Suite 221 West Hills, CA 91307. We are happy to manage properties in other areas of California, however please understand that we will charge more for properties that are located further away.
What does your service include?
We handle the entire lease cycle for you, so you don't have to worry. We will advertise the property, receive applications, review them and decide who to accept, sign the lease with the tenant, conduct tenant move in inspection, handle all financials and maintenance requests, handle any issues with neighbors and the city, conduct a final move out inspection and finalize the move out accounting.
Is there anything that is not included in your service?
The one major thing that is not included in our service is major renovations since we are not a general contractor but a property management company. However, should the need arise for major renovations, we are happy to refer you to one of our vendors or help you find a vendor.
Who takes care of maintenance?
We will handle all repair requests (even the middle of the night emergencies) and we use pre-screened, high-quality vendors.
Do you have your own in-house handyman?
Yes, we do. We charge separately for the service (price is listed in your management contract). Having our own in-house handyman enables us to respond quicker to urgent work orders. We also use outside vendors as needed.
Will you contact us for approval on every maintenance repair?
No. In our management contract we have an upper limit of $500.00 for repairs. For repairs below that amount, we will send someone to fix it. For anything above that amount, we will obtain 2-3 bids and discuss them with you prior to authorizing the work. This policy is in place to help streamline operations as it would not make sense for us to contact you about every minor repair. Furthermore, there are state laws that require us to fix certain things immediately, otherwise the property would be deemed uninhabitable, so there really is no choice for us but to fix or replace a stove, a water heater, etc.
Do you upcharge the vendor invoices?
No, we do not. You pay whatever the vendors charge us. We believe in complete transparency, and you can receive copies of all invoices for any work that was done.
Can I do my own property repairs or use my own vendors?
While a property is vacant, you are welcome to do whatever make-ready work you would like to do on your property. However, when a tenant is living in the property, we need to screen who is accessing the property for the protection of the tenants. Therefore, we will use our pre-screened and pre-approved vendors. If you have a favorite vendor, please give us their contact information – we are always looking to add new high-quality vendors to our vendor list.
Can I use a home warranty company?
You may, but please be advised that we strongly discourage the use of home warranty companies as they typically provide a poor experience and outcome. After all their goal is to collect as many premiums as they can and pay out as little as they can. That is how they make money.
Should I leave behind my washer & dryer?
You must maintain any personal property you leave behind. That means that if you provide it, you must fix it when it breaks. There are times when it is beneficial to leave a washer and dryer behind, and there are times when it is not advisable. Please discuss this with us.
How long will it take to get my property rented?
Properties that show well and are priced appropriately should rent in 30 days or less. We will give you price recommendations as well as weekly activity feedback to ensure we minimize any vacancy time.
How do you screen tenants?
In depth tenant screening is the foundation of a good property management experience. Our in-house screening process utilizes technology and good old fashioned ‘landlord references’ to ensure we place high quality tenants in our properties. We check Income, Employment, Credit Check, Eviction Check, Landlord Verification, Sex Offender Check, Public Records, Criminal Check, Bankruptcy Check, Pet Verification, and Collections History.
Can I be involved in the selection of a tenant?
No. You can trust us to minimize the risk of a poor-quality tenant. Our applicant screening process has processed hundreds of applicants and we know exactly what to look for in a high-quality tenant. We comply with all fair housing rules and regulations.
Do I have to accept pets in my rental?
Although you do NOT have to accept pets in your rental, over 70% of all tenants come with pets. That means that if you chose NOT to accept pets, you are reducing your prospective inquires by 70%. As such, we recommend our owner-clients allow pets. We utilize a third-party company to run a screening on the pets prior to allowing them to move in.
Do I have to accept ‘Section 8’ or subsidized housing in my rental?
Yes. California state law includes ‘source of income’ as a protected status. This means landlords may not discriminate based on where tenants receive their income (including government subsidized programs).
Who provides the lease agreement?
We use an in-house, custom, attorney prepared lease agreement designed to be fair and provide maximum legal protection to all parties. We also include various addendums as required by law.
Do I need to sign the lease for a new tenant?
No. As your legal agent, Hawk Management signs all of the legal documents on your behalf.
How do I access my financial reports?
We utilize Appfolio, which is one of the top property management software's in the market. Through that software, our owner-clients have a secure online portal which gives 24/7 access to financial reporting. Click here to access your portal
Do you inspect my rental property?
We perform annual visual property checkups. The purpose of this is to ensure the property is being well cared for, there are no lease violations, and to look for potential deferred maintenance issues before they become a problem. If you would like, we are able to perform additional checkups by request at a rate of $150.00 per visit. Please note that Hawk Mgmt, Inc. is not a licensed/professional inspection company and that we do a visual inspection only. If you'd like an inspection by a licensed inspector, let us know and we can help coordinate that for you.
What if the tenant does not pay rent?
We handle the entire rent collection process. Although it is rare - should a tenant not pay rent, we handle the entire legal eviction process on your behalf.
Do you provide a tenant placement guarantee?
Yes, if we place a tenant and they break their lease during the first 12 months – we will lease it again free of charge.
How updated does my property need to be in order to rent it?
The quality of a property is equal to the quality of the tenant it will attract. Therefore, you want your property to be updated and CLEAN! We can take care of getting your property rent-ready to ensure it meets the state habitability requirement and attracts high quality applicants.
Is there a maintenance or escrow reserve I need to pay?
Yes. We will collect a $1,000.00 escrow reserve from you. This is YOUR money, and it will be deposited into our bank trust account as the reserve for YOUR property. We will potentially use these funds to pay for expenses that may arise between the time we send you your rental income, and the time we collect the rent from the tenant the following month. But we will always maintain this $1,000.00 reserve as long as we manage your property. When we stop managing your property it will be paid out to you.
Who holds the security deposit?
Hawk Management holds all tenant security deposits in our security deposit trust account. This is done to comply with State of California security deposit and trust accounting rules and regulations as determined by the California Department of Real Estate.
When the tenant moves out who does the security deposit return?
When a tenant moves out, we will do a property move out inspection and we will complete the security deposit return process. We will withhold any funds from the tenant’s security deposit that are legally due and allowable. California state law is very clear on what things may NOT be charged to a tenant’s security deposit and all security deposit returns are completed to comply with state law.
Why are you requiring me/us to add Hawk Mgmt, Inc. as additionally insured on our insurance policy?
Please read the PDF article titled "Additionally Insured Explained" which can be found towards the bottom of our "Blog/Articles" page.
When will I/we receive our owner draw?
We close out each month on or about the 20th of the month at which point we send owner's their draw along with a statement. Please make sure that you update your bank account and routing number in the owner portal as soon as you sign up. Please triple check the information as the account listed is the account to which the money will be sent.
How will I/we receive our money?
We send funds to owners via ACH (electronic bank transfers). We do not send out checks as they get lost in the mail and it takes a long time for them to arrive. Please make sure that you update your bank account and routing number in the owner portal as soon as you sign up. Please triple check the information as the account listed is the account to which the money will be sent.
How do I get started?
Click here to provide us your information, and someone from our team will contact you.
If you wish to get a head start, click here to access the documents needed in order to get started.
I have a question not answered here, what should I do?
Please submit your question to us via the Contact Us page.
