Do you know the difference between contingency reserves and operating funds?
Operating funds are monies that our real estate brokerage uses to pay for our business. Operating funds are our money. But even so, 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 Oak Ridge, 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 rental management. Although the money is in our escrow account, the money belongs to the landlord. When the property management ends, that money is promptly returned to the landlord.
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.
Oak Ridge Property Management Resources
Basics
Elementary info regarding management services in Oak Ridge.
Getting Started
Learn more about getting started with property management
Find A Tenant
List your property to rent to find a dependable tenant in Oak Ridge fast.
Accounting
How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for property owners?
Cost
An overview of fees associated with rental management in Oak Ridge
Vetting
How Nesbitt Realty vets tenants for property owners.
Reserves
What is a contingency reserve account?
Territory
Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rentals?
Clients
Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?
Do you need understand more about the community?
Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a handy tool for anyone who needs to review important real estate information about Oak Ridge and nearby communities. The Guide to Real Estate compiles data regarding what has sold and what is for sale, as well as a couple of shocking facts that you might not be aware of. Not to mention, our Guide has some elements of life in Oak Ridge. Certainly, all of this is interesting for buyers and sellers, but rental investors and tenants may also find these resources to be quite eye-opening.
Landlord Reference
a good reference for landlords in Oak Ridge
- Before you rent out your property in Oak Ridge
- Collections and evictions
- Communications with the tenant
- During the lease term
- End of tenancy and what happens when a tenant breaks the lease
- How does the owner get paid?
- How your property manager handles the association and your community
- How your property manager handles utilities
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management finds tenants
- Insurance matters for property owners using our property management
- How Nesbitt Realty & Management manage keys
- Oak Ridge landlord responsibilities
- Maintenance, repairs & inspections for your rental investment in Oak Ridge
- The move-in inspection
- Property management information form
- Selling a 1031 tax exchange & more
- Starting our management of your rental investment
- When owners don't yet know their new address
- Vetting tenants in Oak Ridge