FAQs

Business

  • The team has over 30 years of combined real estate investing, sales and property management experience.  Both Dustin and his original partner self-managed their own rental properties prior to forming The Full House LLC which later became Nulf Management Services. They had first hand experience in every aspect of management from self-performing carpentry duties to leasing and tenant screening. This experience gives the company excellent oversight through the entire process. The business has been around for over 15 years and started taking on outside clients in 2014.

  • Scattered site single family, multi-family residential & commercially-zoned residential apartment complexes along with some small mixed-use properties as well.  We are not opposed to the management of larger buildings and would love to provide a quote for the management of your properties or community.

  • We have units ranging in diverse demographics and locations. We are more concerned with doing business with good landlords than we are concerned with where the property is located.  Low income areas do require a different approach than A+ areas, and we're happy to discuss a strategy to maximize your net income. 

  • Currently about 150 with the goal of managing over 500 by the end of 2025.  We are of a boutique mindset and are more focused on being able to spend the right amount of time on our properties, landlords and tenants rather than growing faster than we have bandwidth to.  Too many management companies grow beyond their means and landlord experience (and income) pay the price.  Customer service and property attention come first, profits will follow.

  • As of November 2023 we have 5 employees in total. Compared to other local management companies, we are over-staffed for the number of units we service.  Many companies will hire one manager for 300+ units who is also responsible for leasing.  We find that under-staffing is highly inefficient and costly to our landlords (not to mention that it adds stress to every employee's plate).  We are currently staffed for strong growth and strong customer service to both our Tenants and our Landlords.

  • Management fees range between 5% and 12% depending on the number, location and gross rents your portfolio is bringing in. We charge leasing and renewal fees just like nearly every other management company in the area. Our fees tend to be pretty "middle-of-the-road" and some are cheaper than the competition. We are happy to provide a personalized quote after discussing your portfolio.

  • Yes, the fee is minimal though (sometimes as much as 75% lower than our competition) and our renewal usually includes a rent increase that covers the cost of the renewal fee while bringing in more profit from that unit ultimately. We do a fresh market analysis of the rent rate every time we prepare a renewal!

  • Depends on number of units, location and gross rents.  Ask us for a quote.

  • Not unless the landlord has requested that it stay vacant or it is vacant because the landlord is refusing to do or fund the necessary work to have the unit lease-ready.  If it is vacant due to a routine turnover and we are actively trying to lease it, we do not charge a fee for it, yet we will obviously still manage the unit and the unit’s maintenance needs.

  • Our loss-due-to-vacancy is currently under 3% for our "seasoned" units.  The Pittsburgh average vacancy rate has been around 7%.  Our landlords are happy to put over 4% more rents in their pockets than the average management company is able to deliver! To put this into perspective, if we charge you an 8% management fee, it feels like 4% due to the efficiency of our operations.

PM/Owner Relationship

  • Yes and yes. We use the Appfolio property management cloud platform and you can log in and pull your data and documents from the site in real time.  We also send updates at least once a month if things are going smoothly and even daily if we are dealing with an issue that you need to be aware of.

  • Once a month unless you would like more communication or if there are issues we are ironing out.  Our goal is to make your “passive investment” truly a passive investment.  We would like to get to a point with all of our landlords where we have ultimate trust to do what needs to be done and our landlords can enjoy the fruits of their investments. 

  • It's all good. Our direct line is (724)-201-9030.  Landlords will have our email addresses and work cell phone numbers as well, after signing on.

  • It’s a team effort and you will be in touch with different team members depending on the situation, however we do have a Lead Property Manager who would be your "default" contact. We have weekly meetings to keep all team members on the same page regarding your units.

  • We have an emergency maintenance number that connects to our on call Maintenance Staff.  Otherwise, you would use the regular direct line or a work cell number to reach who you want to reach during business hours.

  • Yes.  Owner draws are sent to you as a direct deposit monthly.

  • Yes, through the online portal.  We also provide before and after photos of maintenance issues and work completed.

Leasing

  • Depends on the neighborhood and pricing. Most units that end up going vacant are rented in under 2 weeks. Our goal is to have a 48 hour turnover period where the income never stops coming in but that is not always achievable depending on market and property conditions. (see vacancy rates)

  • Signage, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and nearly every other rental website possible (Apartments.com, Homes.com etc.) as well as some Facebook Pay-Per-Click Ad exposure. We also ask our reliable tenants for personal referrals.

  • We pull and review the following: Credit History, Criminal Background, Eviction History, Reference Check, Past Landlord Reference & Payroll Verification.  Our minimum credit score is 600 however we will make exceptions in situations where we are unable to find a qualifying applicant and only if approved in writing by the landlord.  Tenants who get an exception will be required to put more advanced rent up front and sometimes a larger security deposit.  We do not place tenants with a history of violence, vandalism, drug-dealing or theft.  We do not place tenants with an eviction history.  We check personal, work and past landlord references. We verify employment and income with the current employer.

  • Check, cash in person at our office only, online EFT, Money Order, Credit Card Online... pretty much every way possible short of bartering.

  • Rent is late if it's not received by 11:59PM on the 6th of the month. Eviction is pursued if rents are not received in full by 11:59PM on the 10th. 10-day notices are posted if necessary on the 11th.  Most tenants pay up after receiving notice however 10 to 20% do not, and will need to have the eviction process started at that point.

  • Above sums it up. We file for possession for the landlord and go to court to evict if the tenants don't pay in full or move out on their own.  We will file for possession and removal if need be.  We do not file for judgments or go after the money through wage-garnish or property repossession however, that would be up to the owner of the unit.

  • We act as the agent for the owner during the first phase and we will require that you hire an attorney for full representation if an appeal is filed.  Yes, we are there for all phases.  Fees can be discussed when we review the quote together; they are reasonable.

  • We use a lease similar to the PAR Standard Lease that has been edited to be more Landlord-friendly.  It includes a rules and regulations addendum that is very favorable to the landlord/owner.  The rules addendum is very thorough and our lease includes a 60 day sales clause.

  • Early termination?  No the lease does not outline this but in general we typically would charge full month's rent for early termination and the previous tenant still has to pay rent until we place a new tenant.  We use the “early term” fee to cover your lease-up fee to find a new tenant so the landlord is not hit with extra fees as long as the tenants do not break their contract.  In the event of a contract breach, we will advise our owner to file for and gain a judgement.

  • Yes.  Our tenants are given a move-in checklist in order to note any necessary repairs that we missed or that are needed immediately.  The tenant prior to move-out is also given a checklist of things to do in order to ensure the unit is left in proper condition to receive full security deposit back.  In short, the unit must be returned in the same condition OR BETTER than the original move-in date, aside from normal wear-and-tear.  Our maintenance manager reviews the move-out checklist and evaluates the condition in which the unit is left.

  • Yes, photos mainly.  Video if we feel it is important or cannot be conveyed properly with photos alone.

Maintenance

  • Both.  We have full-time maintenance staff and we hire out third party vendors as needed for capital improvements, if our crew is booked up, or if it’s a job where we lack experience.

  • Most of our single-family residence tenants handle their own lawn care and snow removal, per their lease.  For some multi units and apartment buildings, we outsource the work to a reasonable vendor.  In-house snow removal is billed hourly with a 1 hour minimum and then 15 minute increments after that.

  • We dispatch our in-house HVAC technician who checks and cleans them annually, and notifies us of any problems.  Minor repairs are typically handled on the spot, while anything major will be discussed with the owner prior to resolution.

  • Safety and condition inspections occur at least once a year and are recommended every 6 months.  A report is sent to the owner, complete with photos and a punch list of recommended repairs, if any.

  • We always troubleshoot first.  A repairman is dispatched if we can't figure out or resolve the issue over the phone.  Common items are covered on our rules and regulations addendum.  For example, tenants pay for their own clogged drains.  Tenants pay for anything that they were the cause of.  Tenants pay for pest issues within their unit.

  • Tenants are expected to prevent and resolve any pest problems within their property.  Owners are responsible for exterior and common areas unless the problem is obviously caused by a specific tenant.  Tenants in Single Family Homes are 100% responsible for pests aside from rodents getting in through holes in the building envelope. Since termites & carpenter ants are very common in the Pittsburgh area, we treat all units for wood destroying insects bi-annually (this is mandatory).

  • Just like any other call.  The only difference is that we send our guys immediately (if it's a real emergency).