Friday, February 28, 2014

Eviction Process in Orlando Florida

Eviction Process in Orlando Florida

Are you are a home owner in Orlando Florida? Do you manage your own rental ?  If so, you will inevitably be faced with a tenant that fails to pay his or her rent.  The best thing that you can do is hire a professional attorney to handle the eviction and of course hire Orlando Property Management Realty to manage the property once the tenants is out.

However, if you want to try and do the eviction by your self you should be aware of a few basic things.

1. Keep good bank account records.  The Judge will most likely want to see a ledger with all the rent deposits you ever made into your account.

2. Never accept partial rent payments, it tends to  muddy up the waters & Judges in Central Florida don’t like to see partial payments (trust me on this one)

3. If the tenant is late, you must post a 3 day notice before you can do anything else. The notice  should be delivered in person. If nobody is home, you should place the notice inside and envelop and tape it to the front door.  You must clearly put the tenants name on the outside of the envelop and give them 3 full business days to respond (exclude weekends and holiday)
A 3 day notice is a simple notice that explains to the tenants that they have 3 days to either Pay, Leave, or face Eviction.  Some counties in Florida use different types of 3 days notices, so we recommend that you get one directly from your local court house.

Lastly, if at all possible, your tenants should be made aware that evictions and foreclosure are totally different. The eviction process is  relatively  fast and only takes several weeks, unlike foreclosures that can some times take years!  Often times tenants will simply leave after the 3 day notice is posted, but if they refuse to leave, make sure you do everything by the book to avoid problems later on  in the court room.

If you are looking for a good, honest, no nonsense property management company in Orlando call us at 407-283-5065  

  • 390 North Orange Ave. Suite 2300
  • Orlando, Florida 32801

Monday, February 24, 2014

Protecting Tenants in Foreclosure


Protecting Tenants in Foreclosure

In Orlando Florida about 20% of all foreclosures are occupied by tenants.These tenants are oftentimes overlooked or ignored in the foreclosure process.They pay their rent and suddenly one day they are notified that the property they have been renting is in foreclosure.

However; tenants rights were strengthened considerable in 2009 by the enactment of a federal law know as the Protection Tenants at Foreclosure Act. Now tenants with a long term lease agreement are entitled to continue renting the home for the duration of their lease. Should the bank take back the house the bank must honor the terms of the existing agreement. The Act also protects tenants from any rent increases or other changes to the current lease.

There is one exception: If the new owner intends to live in the property as a primary residence, tenants can be required to vacate the property before the end of their lease term; However, the new owner must still provide them with a 90 day notice.

If you are thinking of renting a houses in the Orlando area you should always ask if the owner is current with their mortgage and you should always ask for a one year lease.

If you are looking for a good, honest, no nonsense property management company in Orlando call us at 407-283-5065  

  • 390 North Orange Ave. Suite 2300
  • Orlando, Florida 32801

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Understanding Freon Prices

Understanding Freon Prices


As of 2013 you can expect to pay up to $100 per pound for R-22 refrigerant.

If you own a rental property in Orlando Florida that was built prior to 2010 your AC unit has R-22 (commonly known as Freon) in it. You can also expect to pay more in the next couple of years.

Here is why: About 25 years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency ordered the phasing out of R-22 as part of the international treaty on protecting the ozone. Production of AC units with R-22 stopped in 2010 and the industry will stop selling the actual refrigerant itself by 2020.

You must now make a decision and determine if it’s cheaper to continue to service your old unit or if you’re better off replacing it with one that uses the more environmentally friendly R-410A. Unfortunately, R-22 charged unites are not compatible with R-410A refrigerant.


The good news is that if you do invest in a new unit, it will be more environmentally friendly and more energy efficient and you will qualify for a $300 federal tax credit.

If you are looking for a good, honest, no nonsense property management company in Orlando call us at 407-283-5065  

  • 390 North Orange Ave. Suite 2300
  • Orlando, Florida 32801

Monday, February 17, 2014

Orlando Foreclosures and Tenants

Orlando Foreclosures and Tenants

When you mix novice landlords with growing numbers of renters, the results are sometimes not pretty — especially in a housing market where eviction notices continue to land on foreclosed rental properties with some frequency.

Renters complain about getting hit with notices despite having paid rent to the landlord. Landlords complain that tenants seem more prone to skipping out on rent and abusing property. And neither party seems certain of what exactly they should do once a property enters foreclosure.

A house that landlord Greg May has been renting out in southwest Orlando is now in foreclosure, and even though he says he still holds title to the property, sheriff’s deputies will not let him enter the house. So he can’t retrieve his refrigerator, and the tenant who resides there is unwilling to surrender the appliance.

“I just want my refrigerator back,” May said. “I just don’t like being told by a tenant, who is in arrears, that I can’t have my refrigerator when he’s sitting there in the house living rent-free. … I have keys to the house, but if I attempted to go inside, he would have me arrested.”

When President Obama signed the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 near the end of the Great Recession, it stipulated that tenants of houses in foreclosure can stay at least until the end of their leases. Month-to-month tenants are entitled to 90 days’ notice before having to move out.

Tom Long, president of the Central Florida Landlords Association, said a new wave of tenants are skilled at taking advantage of property managers as the region’s real estate market struggles to recover. “In the last few months, there seems to be a new influence. … There seem to be more ‘professional tenants,’¿” said Long, who lives in St. Cloud. “They go from place to place, they know how long it takes to get an eviction, and they know the unwary landlord who may be new to the business.”


Investors and owners are sometimes too cheap to give 10 percent to a property-management company to manage the property. Often times they simply rely on ‘gut instinct,’ rather than using the resources of a property-management company to properly vet prospective tenants and that’s when things can quickly go from bad to worst.

If you are looking for a good, honest, no nonsense property management company in Orlando call us at 407-283-5065  

  • 390 North Orange Ave. Suite 2300
  • Orlando, Florida 32801

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Common mistakes when renting out your home

Common mistakes when renting out your home

In today’s market place home owners are not able to sell their homes, so renting out their home is the best alternative; However, becoming a landlord overnight might not be as easy as you think.The following are some of the most common mistakes home owners make when renting out their homes.

  • Proper Screening

Make sure to get the tenant to fill out a rental application and get their permission to obtain reports such as credit history and criminal record. Job verification is also key.

  • Right Lease Form

You might be tempted to go and get a simple lease from your local office supply store, but if the lease does not provide state specific provisions they may very well be able to get out of the lease.
Hire a professional to draw up the paperwork.

  • Discrimination

The last thing you want to do is break the law, but that can easily happen if you don’t know the rules. Be careful not to ask questions about race, age, sexual preference or disabilities. Also understand that you cannot refuse to rent your home based on these issues.

  • Upkeep and Repairs.


As a landlord you should always be in charge of any major repairs, letting the tenant do it them self’s will always come back to haunt you later. Always use licensed and insured vendors and always make sure you see the finished work.  If you are out of town the best thing is to hire a competent Property Manager to manage the property.

If you are looking for a good, honest, no nonsense property management company in Orlando call us at 407-283-5065  

  • 390 North Orange Ave. Suite 2300
  • Orlando, Florida 32801

Thursday, February 13, 2014

What should I rent my house for.

What should I rent my house for?

If you are thinking of renting out your house, it’s absolutely crucial to find out what other properties in the area are renting for, once you've determined the general price range it’s equally important that you pick a nice round number as your monthly rent.

We have to understand that the majority renters search for properties on line and when they do they normally use round numbers.It is unlikely that a potential tenant will search for properties between $995 to $1195

It’s much more likely that they will simply type in $1000 to $1200
In real estate you should always try to use nice round numbers.

If you are looking for a good, honest, no nonsense property management company in Orlando call us at 407-283-5065  

  • 390 North Orange Ave. Suite 2300
  • Orlando, Florida 32801


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

What do Property Mangers normally charge

Most people know that if they want to hire a Real Estate Agent to sell their home they will most likely have to pay a 6% commission to get the job done. 
However things are not so black and white when it relates to property management companies in Orlando. There are many factors that will determine what property managers may charge for their services. 

  • We must first understand that property managers can provide two types of services, tenant placement and or management services.  If you are only interested in having a property manager find you a tenant you will most likely have to sign a “ non management” agreement with the agent. 

The property managers will market the property, show the property, qualify the tenant and eventually get the tenant to sign a one year lease agreement. Once the tenant is placed the agent is done and the home owner takes over.  It is common for the property manager to charge the owner 1st month rent for this service.

  • The second option is to have the property manager “manage” the property. The responsibilities are the same as tenant placement however after the tenant is placed the manager is responsible for  collecting rent, handling maintenance issues, holding deposits and disbursing funds to the owner. It is common for property managers to charge the owner 50% of the first month’s rent and 10% of the rent afterwards for managing the property.
No matter if you are looking for tenant placement or property management services, always read the fine print and make sure there are no upfront fees or strange cancellation policies in place.

If you are looking for a good, honest, no nonsense property management company in Orlando call us at 407-283-5065  

  • 390 North Orange Ave. Suite 2300
  • Orlando, Florida 32801

We take care of Owners and Tenants



At Orlando Property Management Realty, we focus exclusively on helping our clients rent out their properties at top dollar to qualified tenants. If you are looking for a property manager in Orlando Florida, or if you are having trouble with your current tenants, we can help. These are just a few of the property management services we  provide our Owners:

  • Aggressive Marketing
  • Tenant Screening & Qualifying
  • Credit & Criminal Background Checks
  • Direct Deposit
  • Lease Negotiations
  • Rent Collections
  • 3 Day Notice, Non Renewal Notice
  • Evictions
  • Video Tours
  • Yard Sign Placement
  • MLS Listing Service
  • Broker Referral Program
  • Six Month Rental Guarantee
  • Repair Issues
  • Licensed Maintenance Contractors
  • Home inspections


If you are looking for a good, honest, no nonsense property management company in Orlando call us at 407-283-5065  

  • 390 North Orange Ave. Suite 2300
  • Orlando, Florida 32801

Orlando Property Management Realty




Focuses on renting and managing homes for owners in the Orlando market to qualified tenants at top dollar.

Renting out your property can be a challenging task. As a landlord, you need to understand about mold disclosures, lead base paint disclosure, pet addendum's, fair housing laws, lease preparation, rent collection and lets not forget maintenance issues.

For a simple flat fee we can take care of it all, let a professional licensed company take the hassle out of managing your property, call us today for a free quote.


Property management in Orlando is our specialty, we have a huge database of local tenants that are currently looking for homes to rent in the Orlando market.


If you are looking for a good, honest, no nonsense property management company in Orlando call us at 407-283-5065  

  • 390 North Orange Ave. Suite 2300
  • Orlando, Florida 32801