Owner FAQ
Longer answers to the questions owners ask us, whether you hire us or not. For services and a free rental analysis, see owner services.
General information, not legal advice. Where these answers describe what the law requires, they summarize the cited source and link to it. They are not advice about your property or your situation; the linked sources control, and rules change. For advice, consult a qualified California attorney. Our rental law directory carries the full source list.
What management includes
What does full management actually cover?
Marketing and photography, showings hosted by a licensed manager, screening every adult applicant, the lease and all required disclosures, rent collection, maintenance coordination with established local vendors, resident communication, legal notices when needed, and a monthly statement with your disbursement. You get portal access to everything and a manager whose direct line you know.
What is not included?
Capital improvements and remodels are quoted separately, and legal proceedings such as an eviction involve attorney and court costs that pass through at cost.
Why do you host every showing in person?
Because it protects your property and your future resident. A licensed manager walks every prospect through and answers questions honestly on the spot. We do not hand out lockbox codes for unattended tours of your property. High-touch is the service you are paying for.
How long will it take to lease my property?
Condition and price drive it more than anything else, and both are specific to your home, so an average would tell you very little. A licensed manager walks your property before we list it, tells you where it is likely to land and what would move it faster, and prices it from what our own portfolio is leasing for.
Rent, money, and reporting
How do you decide what my property rents for?
From what our own North Bay portfolio actually leases for, adjusted for your home's condition, location, and timing, not from a national estimate site. A licensed manager walks the property and gives you a number with reasons attached. Overpricing costs more in vacancy than it recovers in rent, and we will show you that math.
When and how do I get paid?
Rent is collected through the resident portal, and your disbursement lands by direct deposit each month with a statement showing rent collected, any maintenance with invoices attached, our fee, and your net. It is designed so your tax preparer has what they need at filing time.
What can I see in the owner portal?
Your monthly statements, disbursements, and maintenance invoices, in one place and available whenever you want them, with the same numbers your manager sees: rent collected, work done with the invoice attached, our fee, and your net. It adds up to a clean, complete year for your tax preparer.
Who holds the security deposit?
Deposits are held as California law requires and returned within the state's 21-day window with the itemized statement the law requires. State law now also caps most residential deposits at one month's rent, with a narrow exemption for some small owners that does not reach service members; that changed a habit many owners had. Source: Civil Code §1950.5.
What the law expects of you
What are my basic obligations as a California landlord?
Keep the home habitable (working plumbing, heat, wiring, weatherproofing, and the rest of the state's habitability standards), give proper written notice before entering, follow the deposit rules, make required disclosures, and treat every applicant and resident evenly under fair housing law, including source of income. Our California guide covers each, with citations.
Do rent caps and just cause apply to my property?
It depends on the property and how it is held. California's statewide rules cap increases and require stated cause for many tenancies, and Petaluma adds city protections that go further, including relocation assistance for no-fault terminations. A single-family home or condominium can fall outside the state rules, but the statute sets more than one condition: the owner must not be a real estate investment trust, a corporation, or a limited liability company with a corporate member, and the tenant must have been given the written notice the statute specifies. This is the kind of rule we track, and when a specific property needs a legal read we point you to a qualified California attorney. Sources: Civil Code §1947.12 and §1946.2, and the Petaluma page for the local rules.
What happens if a resident stops paying?
A defined sequence: personal contact first, then the legally required notices with correct service and timing, then, if it comes to it, an unlawful detainer through an attorney. Most cases resolve at the first step. What you should not do is self-help, changing locks or shutting off utilities is illegal in California regardless of what is owed. Source: Civil Code §789.3.
Lease end, renewal, and turnover
What happens when the lease term ends?
We contact you before renewal with a recommendation: renew at the current rent, renew with a lawful increase, or plan a turnover. Keeping a good resident at a fair rent almost always beats a vacancy, and we will show you the numbers either way. A lease reaching its end date does not by itself end a tenancy: where state or local just-cause rules apply, ending one takes a lawful reason and proper notice, and your manager walks you through that before any decision.
What does a turnover involve?
Pre-move-out inspection, the 21-day deposit accounting, make-ready work quoted before it starts, fresh photography if the home has changed, and re-marketing. Your manager tells you what to expect on timing for your home before the work starts, so a turnover is planned rather than discovered.
Can I move back into my own rental?
Possibly. Owner move-in is a no-fault termination under state law and Petaluma's ordinance, and whether it is available depends on the property, the lease, the ownership, and the tenancy; inside city limits, relocation assistance is owed to the resident. Before planning a move or serving notice, have a qualified California landlord-tenant attorney confirm eligibility and the notice and payment requirements; we will assemble the property and tenancy details for that review. Sources: Civil Code §1946.2 and Petaluma Municipal Code §6.60.080.
Thinking about professional management? Start with a free rental analysis, priced from our portfolio, no obligation.