This post is sponsored by By the Hour Property Management.
Andrea Surette and Jeremy Muenz, a couple who lives across the park in Petworth, had a rental property, and a problem. They needed a property management company, but the ones they found charged exorbitant monthly rates for the services provided.
“We were floored,” Jeremy said, “by how expensive they are.”
The couple knew from experience that most rentals don’t need constant attention or repairs. They wanted to find a company that charged them only when services were needed. And when Andrea and Jeremy couldn’t find one – they started one.
By the Hour Property Management launched in 2020 with a different kind of fee structure. It charges a flat rate of $95 per hour, no matter the task.
“We always wanted an hourly management company that we could call if we were out of town, or if we were too busy to handle something at one of our rental units. We could never find that type of service, so we decided to create it ourselves.” said Andrea.
Jeremy and Andrea have taken on jobs as small as letting a plumber into an apartment and as large as helping a landlord coordinate a cross-country move, while simultaneously overseeing several contractors making repairs, and finding tenants for their client.
The couple has learned quite a bit about property management and maintenance through years of managing their own properties. They rent out several apartments across the District, and they renovated their row house in Petworth themselves.
“Over the last 15 years, I’ve learned how to find tenants, deal with emergency repairs and maintenance, and basically deal with the day to day of being a landlord,” said Jeremy.
“We’ve worked with a lot of contractors and tradesmen,” Andrea said. “We know who to call when a repair is needed, and can give useful advice if a quote seems too high. Plus, Jeremy’s an engineer so he’s great with heating, cooling, and plumbing systems.”
Andrea and Jeremy have lived in DC for over 15 years and moved to Petworth in 2018.
“We started this company two years ago, and we’ve already been able to help so many landlords across the city,” Andrea said. “We can take on any job, big or small. We know most homeowners can handle a lot. For anything you don’t want to manage yourself, you’ve got us.”
See BTHManagement.com for more information about By the Hour Property Management’s services. Or contact them at info@BTHManagement.com or 202-455-8101 to discuss what they can do for you.
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