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My wife was in property management for 10 years. The companies are just like every other business on the planet. They want as much money as possible (even if it involves corporate theft) without spending a dime. They purposefully hire incompetent persons. It provides a buffer for upper management- "not our fault". When my wife would completely turn a property around and make them profitable, she was undermined by both her staff and the corporate office. Out here in Texas, the landlord has all of the rights. They can pretty much write a contract to include ANY terms and change it on a whim. If you don't like it, move! The courts are so jacked up and the cost of an attorney is too high to fight. We were involved directly or indirectly with several companies where the staff and management would steal rent money. Or they would hire third party companies (owned by their spouses) and keep them on a never-ending payroll gravy train. We've lived in several states and by far, Texas is the WORST! You pay your rent on time and all you get is lost rent checks, no response for emergencies and shabby living conditions. However, on the drop of a dime, you can get bizarre eviction notices, complaints, harassment, etc. My best suggestion for anyone is to investigate the responses on various websites and ask around. And remember, many positives are just the management typing on the forum. If the responses are mostly negative, run don't walk. Also, get information from your state's Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau. Find out what your rights are. Not that you anyone will stick up for you... Nothing sucks more than getting your family stuck in a contract that you cannot get out of, but if the property management company decides to go bankrupt, sell the property, loses your check, etc. they give you a 24 to 72 hour notice to vacate. This is not a spite-filled response. I've owned my business for half of my life. There is no need to conduct business this way. Every state has issues. But it is a fact that Texas is by far the worst due to the way the laws are written to protect the landlords. Get it in writing. Get multiple quotes from different properties. Do your research. Keep copies of all payments. Send new work-orders as certified mail. Finally, talk to the neighbors. They LOVE to tell you what's up!