What is a contingency reserve account?

Do you know the difference between contingency reserves and operating funds?

Operating funds are monies that our property management and real estate business uses to pay for our business. Operating funds are our money.  In contrast, 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 Catlett, 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 escrow to pay for maintenance and other incidentals that occur during rental management. Although the money is in our escrow account, the money belongs to the real estate investor. If 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.

Real estate investors 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.

 

Catlett Property Management Resources

Basics

Fundamental info about what property management in Catlett.

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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 great renter in Catlett fast.

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Accounting

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

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Cost

An overview of prices of property management services in Catlett

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Vetting

How Nesbitt Realty vets tenants for property owners.

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Reserves

What is a contingency reserve account?

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Territory

Where does Nesbitt Realty manage property?

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Clients

Who uses Nesbitt Realty management services?

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Contact

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

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Should you understand more about the local real estate market?

Nesbitt Realty's Guide to Real Estate is a handy resource for everyone who hopes to investigate real estate facts about Catlett and nearby areas.  The Guide to Real Estate provides data regarding what has sold and what is for sale, and many shocking facts that you may not know.  Also, our Guide spotlights quite a few of the fundamentals of life in Catlett.  Yes, all of this is helpful for buyers and sellers, but owners and renters should also find this information to be somewhat useful.