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Call or text us at (202) 899-7761 during business hours. We guarantee that a team member will get back to you.

Scott is the lead for business development, strategic partnerships, and the pipeline of new and potential clients. He is fully accountable for the performance of the company and its resources. Scott supports all teams with the systems, processes, training and guidance for each colleague to be successful in their role. He assists clients and tenants with complex rental management matters and handles escalations of customer service issues.

Our PMs are responsible for all aspects of our clients’ rental businesses. They are responsible for both financial and strategic performance.

• Benefits to our rental owners, Our PMs ensure vacancies are handled correctly and filled promptly. They are the rental owner’s representative if there are projects or issues at the property. They solicit and review maintenance solutions and estimates, manage property expenses, and interact with all parties on a consistent basis to keep them updated.
• Benefits to our residents, PMs provide support and guidance to the Assistant Property Managers, ensuring maintenance requests are handled correctly and promptly, and working through lease issues and negotiations. They handle more complex property and lease matters as well as escalations.
• Benefits to properties we manage, If the rental is located in an association such as a condominium or HOA, PMs ensure compliance with rules and regulations, manage the relationship with the association, and handle complex damage claims between condo unit owners. In cases of event-based damages to the property, they project manage insurance claims, coordinate multiple estimates and ensure a cohesive plan for dealing with restoration and tenant impact. In addition, PMs keep track of recurring troubles, digging deeper to find root causes, holding vendors accountable for work done, ensure regular property surveys (inspections), and recommend preventative maintenance.

Phone: (888) 857-6594
Email: scott@columbiapm.com

Moving In

We look forward to having you as a resident of Columbia Property Management. Now that you have signed the lease the below steps will assist with your transition into the unit. Please review each button for additional information and next steps. If you are already living in your home and management of the rental has recently switched to our firm, you can by-pass the first three buttons. If you have questions that are not covered in this section, write to Admin@ColumbiaPM.comor call our office during our business hours. We are happy to assist with additional clarifications.

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Moving Out

We’re sorry to see you go! But we do recognize job locations change, certain life situations occur and you may need to relocate. This section answers some typical questions regarding moving out of a property managed by Columbia Property Management so that you can better plan your move.

We do not permit – under any circumstances – sub-letting the unit to another party. This includes temporary or short-term rentals. Be up-front with us regarding moving and do not permit others to reside in the rental. We will work with you to find a solution. Contact your property manager for more information regarding the terms of breaking your lease.

If you live with housemates, you will need to find a suitable replacement for your share before you can be released from the lease. See the information below on Roommate Changes for more details on our policies.

Providing Notice to Management

Formal notice as defined in the lease requires first class mail. However, we prefer you to call our office at 888-857-6594, ext. 2 to provide your notice and follow up with an email to your property manager. If you only send an email to provide notice, it will not be considered official until you have received a personal reply from the property manager assigned to your rental.

First, check your lease. In the District of Columbia if the initial term has expired without signing a new lease, you are on a month to month arrangement. Each party is required to provide a 30- day notice to the end of the next rental period. That means that at least one full rental period must pass until your lease obligation would end. For example if you provide notice on April 10th, your notice will be for the last day of May.

If you are nearing the end of your lease term, you should provide notice to Management based on the terms of your lease. Typically this is 60 days. Note that you may need to provide two full rental periods of notice. If you live with housemates, please consider finding replacements for the shares rather than forcing all people to move out. Often this is not as big a burden as it may appear to be and will ensure the current residents can remain in the rental.

Showings

As per the terms of the lease Management is permitted to market and schedule tours of the rental during the notice period. We will always schedule times with you in advance whether on a by
appointment basis or as part of a regular schedule of showing time slots. It is your duty per the lease agreement to provide ample opportunity for interested parties to see the rental.

If you are moving at the end of your lease, Columbia Property Management offers a special incentive to you for helping us to obtain a signed lease before your move-out date. Your
assistance in preparing for showings by keeping the rental tidy, providing interesting tips about the building or area, or recommending your favorite spots in the neighborhood all help to make
the rental more appealing to prospects. If we have a new tenant ready to move in when you depart we will give you a gift card to help you with your moving expenses.

Moving Company Referral

We can recommend Interstate Moving and Storage for a free moving estimate and discount on the transportation portion of your move.  Just mention Columbia Property Management referred you. An added bonus is if you book a move with Interstate you get availability of free, lightly used, boxes that can be picked up at any of three facilities in Northern VA or MD.  For local or long distance moving needs please contact Sherry Skinner: Sherry.skinner@invan.com or 703-395-7299.

Rental Business License

DC Business License – If you are a landlord with residential rental unit located in the District of Columbia you are required to have a business license and to register with the Rental Accommodations Division. Luckily, our company provides this service for a fee so that you don’t have to spend your valuable time learning all of the ins and outs of this process. By successfully procuring many of our client’s business licenses we were able to learn what works best and make the process efficient. If you hire us all you need to do is answer a few simple questions and provide us with a few original signatures.

City Fees – The District of Columbia has an application fee for the business license that varies on the number of rental units present at that address that is being inspected for one business license.

• Single family, including condo units – $198
• Two-family rental – $268.40
• Three-unit apartment – $430.10
• Four-unit apartment – $477.40
• For larger apartment buildings, contact us.

Columbia Property Management charges a fee to procure your business license for you. We will explain the process, supply the forms, show you where to sign, conduct a site visit to evaluate the unit,advise you as to what repairs are needed to pass the mandatory inspection, visit the different agencies on your behalf, and meet the inspector at the property. Before we submit the documentation to the city we will make sure that your rental does not require structural changes or major improvements. By our estimates you would spend 8-10 hours with this process if you do it on your own. Why should you face that learning curve for a one- time event when we can do it for you?  Our fees:  Individual Condos: $345, single family residence $390, two-unit: $590 (if a Certificate of Occupancy is on record).

Preparations – To be able to submit an application for the business license the owner may not owe the District Government more than $100 or have any outstanding tax returns not filed or registered. This must be resolved before proceeding with the application process.

If you don’t presently have a Certificate of Occupancy you will need the document to be issued before applying for your business license (needed only for 2 units or more). Sometimes a Zoning inspection is required prior to issuing the Certificate of Occupancy, or C of O. Having a C of O issued in the last ten years re-issued with the current owners name won’t require a Zoning inspection and the city fee is approximately $85. Depending on the circumstances with the property, Columbia Property Management may be able to assist you with obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy, or we will refer you to a company who can.

Your rental unit must be maintained. Repairs or improvements may be needed in the rental in order to pass the mandatory safety inspection. We strive to have properties comply before applying for the business license on your behalf to ensure it will pass the housing inspection. A sample of the items that are inspected are:

• Hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on each level (interconnected to the house electric).
• Window or ventilation in kitchen and bathrooms
• GFCI outlets in kitchen and bathrooms (outlets with the reset button)
• Keyless locks on all exit doors and security gates
• Emergency escape egress from all sleeping areas (door or window)
• No peeling or chipping paint
• No holes in walls, floors, or ceilings
• Hot water heater, heating and central air conditioning are in good working order.
• Recent hot water installations must include an expansion tank

Our company can help coordinate removing deficiencies such as these that risk causing your rental unit to fail the inspection. A formal proposal will be made and you can decide if you wish to move forward. We can also refer you to contractors and other companies for larger jobs.

Your rental unit must be structurally able to pass inspection. If it is not a legal two-family flat it will have to pass inspection as a single family dwelling. If you rent the basement separately, contact us. Each case is unique depending on the structure of the home and we will need additional information and possibly a site visit to determine if we can help you with the business license.

We would be grateful to count you as a client for our DC Business License service. Complete the form below to provide some basic information about the rental you wish to have licensed. We will follow up via email or phone to ask a few additional questions about the property and to provide you with next steps.

Mila works half time mornings, and her focus is mostly projects or “off-line work” and she provides back-up for Anthony. Mila works on projects such as client business license work, rental application processing, data integrity and conversion projects, records audits, filing etc.

Email: info@columbiapm.com
Phone: (888) 857-6594

As the main point of contact for residents living in our managed rentals, our APMs ensure our residents have a “front-line” point of contact. They provide crucial support for the many daily details and requests received by our company and ensure follow through to resolution.

As our tier 1 PM support team, they help to ensure smooth, proactive operations in service of our residents and clients. Their work empowers the company to deliver on our customer service promise and provides capacity for our PMs to focus on rental management responsibilities and escalations.

Both office- and field- based, APMs travel to client properties as needed to carry out various duties such as:

• Initial property assessment
• Marketing and showing available rentals
• Coordinating resident moves and conducting orientations
• Managing maintenance requests and vendor communications
• Conducting regular routine property surveys, assessing repair needs and lease compliance

Email: Assistantpm@columbiapm.com
Phone: (888) 857-6594

Anthony is the locus for all incoming communications; both answering routine requests and forwarding other information to colleagues inside CPM. He plays a critical role managing the office and ensuring CPM records are intact. He owns the office experience making sure our offices are organized, clean, and well-maintained—creating a welcoming environment in which our staff works. He handles logistics for property access and schedules appointments. He leads the processing of all rental applications.

Email: admin@columbiapm.com
Phone: (888) 857-6594

As the main point of contact for residents living in our managed rentals, our APMs ensure our residents have a “front-line” point of contact. They provide crucial support for the many daily details and requests received by our company and ensure follow through to resolution.

As our tier 1 PM support team, they help to ensure smooth, proactive operations in service of our residents and clients. Their work empowers the company to deliver on our customer service promise and provides capacity for our PMs to focus on rental management responsibilities and escalations.

Both office- and field- based, APMs travel to client properties as needed to carry out various duties such as:

• Initial property assessment
• Marketing and showing available rentals
• Coordinating resident moves and conducting orientations
• Managing maintenance requests and vendor communications
• Conducting regular routine property surveys, assessing repair needs and lease compliance

Email: Assistantpm2@columbiapm.com
Phone: (888) 857-6594

Susie handles all things financial for the company, answers all questions about charges, invoices, expenses, finances, and reports. This includes both CPM as a company and our payroll as well as any maintenance or property bills CPM pays on our client’s behalf. In addition to these critical services, she supervises the Administrative Team.

Susie provides support for:

• Owner portal questions for all clients
• Internal tech for any of our tools and apps
• Vendor relationships with external companies supplying CPM with services
• Maintenance vendor program, ensuring those working at properties managed by CPM have their current paperwork and are “CPM certified”
• Budgets, audits, financial analysis and reporting, certifies our escrow accounting and company financials with our CPA firm

Email: accounting@columbiapm.com
Phone: (888) 857-6594