Choose a Pennsylvania property manager the way you'd choose a fiduciary: demand the complete fee schedule in writing, a response-time commitment, zero (or fully disclosed) maintenance markups, written screening criteria, and a sample owner statement before signing anything. The twelve questions below surface all five — and the evasive answers that should end the meeting. Ask them of every candidate, including us.
I."May I have your complete fee schedule in writing — every charge an owner could ever see?"
This is the sorting question, which is why it's first. A confident firm hands it over or points to its website; an evasive one says "it depends on the property." Fees legitimately vary — but the schedule of possible fees never should. Our fee guide lists every line to check it against.
II."Is your fee charged on collected rent or scheduled rent?"
A manager paid on scheduled rent earns fees whether or not the tenant pays. Collected-rent pricing aligns the manager's paycheck with yours — it's the single clearest incentive question in the industry.
III."Do you mark up vendor invoices?"
A 10–20% markup on repairs quietly rewards the manager for your property breaking. Acceptable answers: "no," or a disclosed flat coordination fee. Ask to see a real repair invoice alongside the owner statement that reported it — the pair either matches or it doesn't.
IV."What is your written response-time commitment to owners?"
Not a vibe — a commitment. "We're very responsive" is marketing; "every owner message returned the same business day, in writing on our site" is a standard you can hold someone to. Slow communication is the number-one complaint owners file against managers, so make the promise explicit before you're the one filing it.
V."May I see a sample monthly owner statement?"
The statement is the product you'll actually receive twelve times a year. It should show rent collected, every expense itemized with invoices available, and your net disbursement — legible to you, not just their software. A manager who won't show one is showing you something anyway.
VI."What are your written tenant screening criteria?"
Screening is where good management earns its fee — and where fair-housing compliance lives. The right answer includes objective, uniformly applied criteria: income multiples, credit thresholds, eviction history, references. Criteria that shift case-by-case are both a legal risk and a quality risk.
VII."How many days, on average, are your units vacant at turnover?"
Vacancy is the largest hidden cost in rental ownership — the arithmetic essay shows one extra month erases a year of fee savings. A professional tracks this number; under thirty days is the standard to ask for. "It varies" from a firm that doesn't measure it tells you plenty.
VIII."How do you set the rent — may I see a sample comparative analysis?"
Rent set by gut feel costs you $50–$150 a month in either direction: underpriced bleeds income, overpriced breeds vacancy. Insist on documented comps at every listing and renewal.
IX."Who holds tenant security deposits, and how?"
In Pennsylvania, deposit handling carries real statutory obligations — including escrow requirements and strict return timelines. A manager should answer immediately and precisely; hesitation on deposit law is hesitation on the part of your business with the most legal exposure.
X."What happens after hours when a pipe bursts at 2am?"
You want a specific pipeline: who answers, how emergencies are defined, which vendors are on call, and at what dollar threshold you're contacted for approval. "We have a 24/7 line" is the beginning of an answer, not the end of one.
XI."How do I terminate this agreement if I'm unhappy?"
Read the exit before the entrance: notice period (30–60 days is reasonable), termination fees, and what happens to tenant leases and deposits at handoff. A firm confident in its service doesn't need a cage to keep clients.
XII."How many doors do you manage, and how many per staff member?"
There's no perfect number, but the answer reveals capacity honestly. Very high door-to-staff ratios explain slow responses before they happen; a small firm with modest ratios and modern systems often outserves a large one running lean.
Scoring the Interview
Any single red flag is survivable; two is a pattern; three is your answer. And hold this test against every firm equally — including Kelverra. Our answers to all twelve are published across the fee schedule, the three promises, and this Journal, in writing, where they can be held against us. That's the point of writing them down.
This checklist is general information for Pennsylvania rental owners, not legal advice. Security deposit and landlord-tenant obligations are statutory — confirm current requirements with a Pennsylvania attorney.