Due to the nature of the arrangement, you’ll most likely be dealing with the management personnel from the property you live at pretty frequently. They’ll be the ones handling your rent, your maintenance requests, and the overall experience living at that property. It’s hard to know whether or not you’ve found yourself a good property manager until you move in, so it’s important to do some research before you get yourself in too deep.

Check reviews online to see what previous residents of that property have to say about the management. The internet can reveal all sorts of things that you wouldn’t find out from visiting the property and speaking to the management. Ask around and see if anyone you know lives at that property and talk to them about their experiences with the management; have they had trouble getting in contact with the property manager? Do maintenance requests take a long time to fulfill? Does the management reach out to residents? Is the community well-equipped? These are all things that you should know before making the decision to move there or not. The management may come off as super nice and helpful, and that may be the case, but you really won’t know how residents are treated until you move in.

If the management at the place you’re interested in runs more than one property, check it out and see what it’s like. Consistency is very important, and you want to find a property manager that is consistent in making residents happy.