It's summertime, which hopefully means it's vacation time. If you are a landlord, however, taking a vacation may be difficult, if not impossible.  Because being a landlord is an around the clock job, it's difficult to go on vacation. You are always on call, so if it's difficult for tenants to reach you, there could be a problem. If bills need to be paid or contractors need to be contacted at home, you may need to put a temporary landlord in your place.

Your property is your biggest asset. You put a great deal of time into maintaining your property investments, and sometimes it helps to hire a property management company to ease the stress. Unfortunately not all landlords and management companies deliver what you would expect. 

Members of Rentwell are traveling to Denver, Colorado July 14-16 to attend the Annual Propertyware Conference at the Colorado Convention Center. Propertyware is the current software system that Rentwell utilizes to help maximize productivity and give owners the best experience and updates on their properties as well as how they are effectively being managed.

We previously have discussed the rising trend of required renters insurance, but plenty of people are still without insurance. In fact, a 2012 Insurance Institute poll conducted by ORC International found that while 96 percent of homeowners had homeowners insurance, only 31 percent of renters had renter insurance.

Summer is a time for barbecues, pool parties, vacations and most importantly fun. The last thing that you need during your time off is to spend your hard earned money on repairs , or high utility bills. Rentwell is going to share with you some of our tips to keep your FUN high and COSTS low. Below is our advice on Summer Maintenance For Your Home.

Philly.com recently reported that "modest economic growth" will benefit the Philadelphia region's apartment market during the rest of 2013. Trends show that vacancy rates are falling and effective rents are rising.While the growth may not be huge, it's a good sign that rents are consistently rising.

Every once in a while you'll enter a property and be astonished by the amount of trash that seems to accumulate. From overflowing recyclables to a sink full of dirty dishes, you'll occasionally have the not-so-wonderful surprise of dealing with a messy tenant. Unfortunately, it's difficult to create boundaries in this situation because you want the tenant to be happy, but you also don't want to see your property lose significant value and create potential health and safety risks.

According to a recent survey, more than half of US homeowners (53%) do not perform annual maintenance on their home. The survey was conducted by HomeAdvisor, an online destination for home repair and improvement.    Additionally 77% of homeowners reported that they were concerned about high electricity bills. Essentially, people are worried about bills but not worried enough to perform routine maintenance.

The thought of letting somebody manage your biggest asset (your property!) can be something that brings a lot of nervous energy, fear and concern for every property owner who does not have the time to properly manage their property. Not only is it a difficult task to achieve, but choosing the right property manager from the many in your area can be overwhelming. Below you will find a list of qualities to look for in finding the property manager that is right for you. This property manager needs to be one that you can gain Peace of Mind in managing your property.

Last month we wrote a blog post about rising taxes in Chester County and Delaware County.  A recent Philly.com article reported that across Chester and Delaware counties as well as other counties nearby, town taxes are also increasing. For example, township taxes in Upper Darby have increased over 7 percent. The article reports that a majority of the tax money is going to police and ambulance services.