Should You Hire a Property Manager?

What Does a Property Manager in the Netherlands?

In the busy and regulated Dutch housing market, a property manager is an independent or company hired by a landlord to manage the everyday work that goes into a rental property. Some property managers in the Netherlands offer the rental management included in the property management service, and some apart them. Hiring a professional that is familiar with the Dutch rental regulations could save paying for a rental agent (verhuurmakelaar).

A property manager, for example, Diagonal Makelaardij:

sets the rent for a property based on the market competition;
advertises property to find tenants;
screens tenants;
deals with the leasing process;
handles complaints and emergencies from tenants;
deals with check-ins and check-outs;
handles evictions (if it comes to that);
collects rent from tenants;
schedules maintenance and repairs to the rental property;
keeps things organized and running smoothly.

Seems like a lot, doesn’t it? If you’re a landlord, but do not have the knowledge or the time to balance all of these responsibilities on your own, then you may want to consider hiring a property manager.

Why Consider a Property Manager?

There are several reasons why a landlord might consider hiring a property manager or management company instead of managing his properties by himself.

One reason could be that a landlord may find that passive rental income is attractive, but the job of managing a property or properties is not suitable to his or her skills, personality, etc.
Another reason could be distance, landlords who live abroad or frequently travel prefer to have a contact person nearby who can react quickly if needed.

Ben Engelsman, founder of Diagonal Makelaardij adds: "For example, a client of ours who lives in The Hague owns 2 houses in Amstelveen that he rents out for many years. She preferred letting us do the rental management simply since she was not familiar with the local rental regulation, which differs from city to city in the Netherlands. Mistakes in the rental market could be much more expensive than hiring a property manager and that's why it is essential to use professionals for that."

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