Owner FAQs

If you are a real estate investor considering hiring a property manager to manage your property, is that manager required to be licensed in Texas? The very easy answer is YES.

The state of Texas has several requirements that must be fulfilled before they will grant a real estate license. Landlords should confirm the license status of any property manager before working with them. The applicant for a license must meet the following requirements: 

· Be at least 18 years old.

· Have a high school diploma or equivalent.

· Have a valid Social Security Number.

· Must be a citizen of the United States or lawfully admitted alien.

· Pass the state exam

· Background check

· Insurance requirements

270 classroom hours of qualifying real estate courses, including the following mandatory courses:

· Principles of Real Estate I (30 classroom hours)

· Principles of Real Estate II (30 classroom hours)

· Law of Agency (30 classroom hours)

· Law of Contracts (30 classroom hours)

· Promulgated Contract Forms (30 classroom hours)

· Real Estate Finance (30 classroom hours)

· Real Estate Brokerage (30 classroom hours)

An additional 630 classroom hours in related qualifying courses acceptable to the Commission or approved Continuing Education (CE) courses is also required.

Confirm that your property manager is licensed by clicking here: https://www.trec.texas.gov/

The reason for Property Managers to be licensed in Texas includes:

1. To Protect the consumer:

If a tenant is going to rent a property there will be a lot of legal protection that is given by the state of Texas. This is upheld by the property manager with regulating the rules for both parties, owners, and tenants.

2. To Ensure Proper Trust Accounting:

The real estate commission and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) will perform recurring audits on property management companies and audit their trust accounting. (Trust accounting is the account where a company holds other people's money). For example, property management companies will hold their tenant's security deposits in a trust account.

3. To Ensure Laws Are Followed:

Texas has many rules and regulations that govern what property managers may and may not do in relation to their client’s property and their tenants. Most of these rules apply equally to property owners, even when they self-manage a property. For example, as an owner or a property manager, you must return a tenant's security deposit within 30 days of moveout. If you miss the deadline, you can be liable for up to 3 times the deposit amount.

Other sources to consider when hiring a property manager in Texas:

· BBB (Better Business Bureau) reviews

· If the property management company belongs to NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers)

When hiring a property manager, be cautious and research the company before you hire them. We at Hunter Rentals & Sales are always ready and willing to help in any way we can. Contact us at www.HunterRentals.com (254)634-3311.

No! Many property management companies only provide limited services for discounted pricing; some firms are designed for owners who like to be very involved in the day-to-day management of their homes; and some firms (like Hunter Rentals & Sales) are Full Service firms designed to give owner-clients a full service, stress-free, hands-off experience, where we handle ALL aspects of the property management cycle with professionalism and expertise. Property Management in Texas is legally complex, and you want a professional overseeing what may be your most valuable asset. As you consider partnering with a property management company, but sure to ask them the following questions:

· Is each individual property manager licensed? (All Hunter Rentals & Sales managers are fully licensed and go through a detailed internal and ongoing training process)

· What if I want to cancel my service with you? (Most property management companies have long term contracts with expensive termination fees. Hunter Rentals & Sales offers the only month-to-month contract in the area with no termination fees or penalties; because we believe that we should earn your business every day and you should have the flexibility to leave if you want to.

· What "other" fees could you charge me? Many property management companies have hidden fees for things like paying bills, eviction services, dealing with HOAs, or property inspections. Hunter Rentals & Sales does not charge for any of those services; they are part of our full-service management service.

Hunter Rentals & Sales is one of the most experienced property management firms in the Fort Cavazos area (formerly Fort Hood), serving real estate investors and residents since 1986. We combine 'old school' locally owned customer service (we actually return phone calls), with the most up to date technology to create an unmatched experience for our owner-investors as well as our tenant-residents.

Yes. We are very experienced in taking on the management of a property with a current tenant in place. We often take over management in situations where a tenant may be delinquent in rent, or the owners are having difficulty managing a current tenant. When this happens, we perform a full lease audit and work with the tenant to ensure that they either conform to the terms of the lease and bring their rent current, or when necessary, vacate the property.

No. We do not manage furnished properties or short-term rentals. We specialize in long-term rentals.

There are multiple laws governing rental real estate including federal and state fair housing, habitability laws, tenant rights laws, applicant screening, rent-ready standards, and more. We ensure your property, and the management experience is fully compliant with ALL rules, regulations, and laws.

Any company can find a few owner-clients to say something nice about them. The BEST way to research a company is to review the BBB complaints the company has received in the past 3 years. Click here to search BBB complaints filed against our company.

Click here to view our fair and transparent pricing (with no hidden fees!)

Fair & Transparent Pricing with No Hidden Fees

The most expensive mistake a real estate investor can make is it to work with a cheap property manager

No! We believe we should only be paid if you get paid. So, our management fee is a percentage of the actual rent we collect. If we do not collect any rent, or if the property is vacant, you don’t pay us anything.

Our extensive and proven marketing program attracts high quality applicants from a variety of sources. Click here to view details.

No. We do not recommend leaving a washer & dryer. These appliances will become a maintenance liability for you and can be expensive for you to maintain.

Properties that show well and are priced appropriately should rent in 30 days or less. We will give you price recommendations as well as weekly activity feedback to ensure we minimize any vacancy time.

In depth tenant screening is the foundation of a good property management experience. Our in-house screening process utilizes technology plus good old fashioned ‘landlord references’ to ensure we place high quality tenants in our properties. We comply with all federal and state laws governing applicant screening. 

No. You can trust us to minimize the risk of placing a poor-quality tenant. Our applicant screening process has processed tens of thousands of applicants, and we know exactly what to look for in a high-quality tenant-resident. We comply with all fair housing rules and regulations as well as Texas applicant screening laws.

Although you do NOT have to accept pets in your rental, over 80% of tenants that apply to rent from us come with pets. That means that if you choose NOT to accept pets, you are reducing your prospective inquires by 80%. We do recommend our owner-clients allow pets, and we provide our owner-clients with a $1,000 pet damage guarantee (click here for details)

No, Texas does not require landlords to accept Section 8 (HUD) housing vouchers. However, landlords who participate in federal housing programs, including Section 8, must comply with certain non-discrimination laws, such as the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.

Landlords in Texas (and nationwide) are allowed to choose whether to accept Section 8 vouchers, if they do not discriminate against tenants based on the protected categories listed above. Some landlords may choose not to accept Section 8 due to concerns over the administrative process or the rental property’s condition.

Local ordinances or housing programs might encourage or provide incentives for landlords to accept Section 8, but it is ultimately the landlord's decision.

The Texas Apartment Association (TAA) authors the TAA Residential Lease Contract that we use. The TAA is a statewide trade association that represents the apartment industry in Texas.

They create standardized lease agreements and forms that are widely used by property owners and managers throughout the state. The TAA Residential Lease Contract is commonly used for residential rental properties and is designed to ensure legal compliance and provide clarity in the landlord-tenant relationship.

Landlords and property managers who are members of the TAA often use these forms to help avoid legal issues and ensure that lease terms are fair and clear. The contract can be updated periodically to reflect changes in Texas law or industry standards.

No. As your legal agent, Hunter Rentals & Sales signs all the legal documents on your behalf.

Our owner-clients have a secure on-line portal which gives 24/7 access to financial reporting. Click here for details

We initiate a direct deposit of your funds between the 7th – 8th day of each month, so you’ll have your rental proceeds no later than the 9th of the month.

We perform property condition assessments every six to seven months (at no cost to you). The purpose of these walk-through assessments is to ensure your property is being well cared for, there are no lease violations, and to look for potential deferred maintenance issues before they become a problem.

We handle the entire rent collection process. Although it is rare - should a tenant not pay rent, we handle the entire legal eviction process on your behalf.

Yes, if we place a tenant and they break their lease during the first 12 months – we will release it for free (click here to view our other owner-client guarantees).

Yes. Our tenant screening process is so strong that we will personally pay up to $1,000 in eviction legal fees should an eviction occur on your property (click here for details)

Risk Mitigation Guarantee

The quality of a property is equal to the quality of the tenant it will attract. Therefore, you want your property to be updated and CLEAN! We take care of getting your property fully rent-ready to ensure it meets the state habitability requirement and attracts high quality applicants. Click here for detail on our rent-ready standards.

We will handle all repair requests (even the middle of the night emergencies) and we use pre-screened, high-quality vendors. 

Yes. We will collect a $300 escrow reserve from you. This is YOUR money, and it will be deposited into a bank trust account that we maintain as the reserve for YOUR property. We will potentially use these funds to pay for expenses that may arise between the time we send you your rental income, and the time we collect the rent from the tenant the following month. But we will always maintain this reserve while we manage your property. When we stop managing your property it will be returned to you.

Hunter Rentals & Sales holds all tenant security deposits in our security deposit trust account. This is done to comply with the State of Texas security deposit and trust accounting rules and regulations as determined by the Texas Real Estate Commission.

When a tenant moves out, we will do a moveout property condition assessment and we will complete the security deposit return process. We will withhold any funds from the tenant’s security deposit that are legally due and allowable. Texas state law is very clear on what may or may not be charged to a tenant’s security deposit and all security deposit returns are completed to comply with state law.

While your property is vacant, you are welcome to perform whatever make-ready work you would like to do on your property. When a tenant is living in the property, we must screen all persons accessing the property for the protection of the tenant-residents, you, and us. Therefore, we will use our pre-screened and pre-approved vendors.

We strongly discourage the use of home warranty companies as they often provide a delayed, and less than exceptional experience and outcome.

No. We are a relationship-based property management business, and we work with owner-clients who are looking for a full-service experience and believe in providing well maintained properties. We believe that when property management is performed with integrity, both the resident and the landlord benefit.

No. Our property management agreement is designed to give our owner-clients maximum flexibility (it is a month-to-month term with NO termination fees or penalties). It is also designed to allow us to serve our owner-clients with a consistent, high-quality, full-service management experience every time.

Yes. We offer sales services exclusively to our owner-client group and we can help you buy another rental or sell your current property when the time if right.

Click the link below and one of our Executive Property Managers will contact you. (Click here to contact us!)

While most of the specific provisions of the CARES Act related to property owners and renters are no longer active, under the CARES Act, homeowners with federally backed mortgages (VA, FHA, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae, etc.) must still provide their renters with a thirty-day notice to vacate for nonpayment of rent. A twenty-four hour notice to vacate for nonpayment of rent is allowed if your property is no longer mortgaged or if your mortgage is not federally backed.

Our security deposits are structured to provide maximum protection to the owner, while ensuring minimum financial impact to a qualified applicant. In Texas, the amount of a security deposit for a rental property is typically determined by the property management company. Texas law allows property managers to set the amount of the security deposit at their discretion.

Security deposits are commonly set at one month's rent, though they can be higher or lower depending on the circumstances.