What is a contingency reserve account?

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.  Still, 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 Stephens City, 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 property owners.

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 landlord. When the property management ends, that money is promptly returned to the property owner.

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.

Landlords 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.

 

Stephens City Property Management Resources

Basics

Elementary information regarding management services in Stephens City.

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Getting Started

Learn more about getting started with rental property management

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Find A Tenant

List your property to rent to find a reliable tenant in Stephens City fast.

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Accounting

How does Nesbitt Realty keep track of income and expenses for property owners?

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Cost

A breakdown of prices of property management services in Stephens City

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Vetting

How Nesbitt Realty vets renters for property owners.

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Reserves

What is a contingency reserve account?

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Territory

Where does Nesbitt Realty manage rental investments?

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Clients

Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?

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Contact

Call (703)765-0300 to speak to a property management specialist now.

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Should you understand more about this area?

Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a helpful tool for everyone who wants to learn more about Stephens City and nearby areas.  The Guide to Real Estate includes information regarding what has sold and what is currently listed, and a few compelling facts that you might not know.  Also, our Guide highlights many of the benefits of life in Stephens City.  Naturally, all of this is helpful for buyers and sellers, but owners and renters might also find this data to be quite informative.

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