Do you know the difference between contingency reserves and operating funds?
Operating funds are funds that our real estate brokerage uses to pay for our business. Operating funds are our money. However, escrow funds are different. Escrow funds are monies that Nesbitt Realty is holding on behalf of tenants, landlords, buyers and sellers. Escrow funds are not our money, but they are monies that we are trusted to safeguard. At any given time, Nesbitt Realty has hundreds of thousands of dollars in escrow accounts.
In Newington Forest, the Commonwealth of Virginia requires that all real estate licensees manage escrow funds in a particular manner. Most importantly the Commonwealth requires that escrow funds are properly accounted for at all times. In additional all escrow funds must be kept separate from operating funds. The biggest portion of our escrow funds are tenant security deposits, but also hold deposits for buyers (and sometimes sellers) as we'll as contingency reserve funds for landlord clients.
Contingency reserve is a special type of escrow.
A contingency reserve account is money that is held in savings to pay for repairs and other incidentals that occur during property management. Although the money is in our escrow account, the money belongs to the property owner. If the property management ends, that money is promptly returned to the real estate investor.
When a repair bill arises we use money in the contingency reserve account to pay that bill. When bills are paid in this manner the account is depleted. When the account is missing funds, at the end of the month when new rents are paid, Nesbitt Realty replenishes the count with money withheld from this rent. As property managers, Nesbitt Realty prepares a statement each month to show if/when money is depleted and how/when money is replenished into the contingency reserve account.
Property owners do not pay us money to set up the contingency reserve account. Instead, Nesbitt Realty withholds money from the first month of rent in order to set up the account.
Newington Forest Property Management Resources
Basics
Basic information regarding management services in Newington Forest.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
Find A Tenant
Market your property to rent to find a great renter in Newington Forest fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for landlords?
Cost
A list of prices of rental management services in Newington Forest
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty checks the backgrounds of renters for landlords.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage property?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Should you know more about the community?
Our Guide to Real Estate is a helpful resource for everyone who needs to find out more about Newington Forest and neighboring areas. The Guide to Real Estate compiles information regarding what has sold and what is on the market, and a couple of compelling facts that you may not know. Furthermore, our Guide spotlights quite a few of the assets of life in Newington Forest. Of course, most of this is useful for purchasers and sellers, but rental investors and tenants may also find this information to be somewhat edifying.
Landlord Reference
a good source for rental investors in Newington Forest
- Before you move a tenant into your rental property in Newington Forest
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the renter
- During tenancy
- End of tenancy and what happens when a tenant breaks the lease
- How does the landlord get paid?
- How your property management company handles the association and your community
- How your management company handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Realty finds tenants
- Insurance matters for landlords using our rental management
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management manage keys
- Newington Forest landlord responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your property in Newington Forest
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your rental property
- When landlords don't yet know their new address
- Vetting tenants in Newington Forest