Real-Life Cases
Water advance payment up by 82.5%?
It did not stand up to scrutiny.
The owner received a new payment schedule in which the advance payment for cold water had increased
by 82.5%. Most owners would simply accept such
an amount and then pass it on to the tenant.
However, the amount of the advance payments does not concern only the tenant. If they are set too low,
the owner may face a substantial amount to pay
at the end of the year. If they are unnecessarily high, the owner's money remains idle with the building management company until the annual settlement.
FCFO therefore assessed the proposed increase.
The 82.5% rise did not stand up to scrutiny,
and the advance payment was subsequently
adjusted in the owner's favour.
Property management does not simply mean accepting and forwarding payment schedules. It also means checking whether the requested amounts are justified and, when necessary, acting on the owner's behalf.
Bed Bugs in the Apartment.
Do You Think Arranging Pest Control Is Enough?
When bed bugs are found in a rented apartment, simply arranging professional pest control is not enough.
It is necessary to determine the extent of the problem, check whether other apartments are also affected, communicate with the tenant, the owners' association or housing cooperative, arrange a professional pest control company, coordinate the individual treatments and clarify who is responsible for the resulting costs.
I take over the communication and organisation of the entire process on behalf of the owner. I monitor the procedure, deadlines and cooperation between everyone involved. I also make sure that the owner does not pay costs for which they are not responsible.
The owner stays informed about what is happening but does not have to deal with the complicated situation alone.
The tenancy has ended.
But is everything really settled?
An official said it.
So it must be correct.
Or is it?
The tenancy has ended.
But a dispute over money
may only just be beginning.
When a Lawyer's Notice Arrives
Based on a notice from the owners' association, the owner was required to clear out the basement storage areas. If he failed to do so, the owners' association threatened to have them cleared at his expense.
However, when the actual circumstances were examined, it became clear that there was no evidence that the owner had access to the storage areas, nor had it been established that the items stored there belonged to his former tenants.
Under a power of attorney, I took over communication with the owners' association's lawyer on behalf of the owner. I discussed each subsequent step and the content of every response with the owner in advance.
The result? The owners' association withdrew its demand.
This is another example of what property management can look like in practice.
CZK 10,400 Service Charge Shortfall
– A Solution Without Conflict
An otherwise reliable tenant had a service charge shortfall of CZK 10,400 following the annual settlement. As she had found herself in a very difficult situation,
she was given the opportunity to propose an instalment schedule herself so that it would be genuinely manageable for her.
At the same time, the regular advance payments were increased to prevent the same situation from recurring the following year.
The tenant kept to the agreed instalments and paid
the entire shortfall. Without reminders, without conflict and without damaging the relationship between her and the property owner.
Do you think the owners' association always responds to your messages?
Surprisingly often, it does not respond at all.
Checking enforcement and insolvency records, meeting in person and asking the tenant the essential questions certainly makes sense.
But even the most thorough screening cannot guarantee a trouble-free tenancy.
The tenant's circumstances can change at any time.
The value of an investment property
extends beyond its front door.
You don't attend an owners' association meeting
just to sign the attendance sheet.
Phone calls an apartment owner
does not want to receive.
Prevention is important not only in healthcare.
It matters for apartments too.
When the tenant disconnects the heating stove,
the owner's work is not over yet
