As an owner of a property managed by Steinborn Property Management, there may be a number of questions that will come to mind during the time we are managing your property. In an effort to assist you in understanding the process and issues which may come up during our tenure in managing your property, we have identified a number of common questions that have been brought up from time to time by owners.
We hope that this will be of assistance to you. For further information, please contact us at 575-521-7368.
We work collaboratively and share information on every property we manage. You may hear from different team members depending on who is best positioned to handle a specific issue. This allows us to respond to you as efficiently as possible.
Our staff manages multiple properties and is frequently in the field, which means calls cannot always be taken or returned immediately. We prioritize email as our primary communication channel. It allows for timely responses on both ends and gives you a written record of all correspondence.
No. Landlord-tenant communications are governed by state and federal law, and direct contact outside of our management process can create legal liability for both you and our company. Our staff is trained in handling these interactions appropriately on your behalf.
Collecting overdue rent requires significant follow-up: contacting the tenant, working toward payment, and preparing any required legal documents, including a Three-Day Notice and, if necessary, a Writ of Restitution for court proceedings. Retaining the late fee allows us to handle this process thoroughly on your behalf, without passing additional costs to you.
When a late payment is received, the late fee is deducted before the remaining balance is applied to rent. This ensures the full rent is credited to your account. The reason for this order of operations: eviction can only be pursued for non-payment of rent, and some Magistrate Court judges do not recognize late fees as part of rent, meaning an unpaid late fee alone would not qualify as grounds for eviction.
The inspection is primarily a safety measure. A licensed HVAC technician checks for natural gas and carbon monoxide leaks, both of which pose serious risks to tenants and the property. The annual visit also serves as preventative maintenance, reducing the likelihood of a more costly repair down the road.
Yes, within reason. For major repairs, we will always contact you first and provide one to three estimates before any work is authorized. For minor repairs, we will notify you and proceed in a timely manner. Ensuring repairs are completed promptly protects you from legal liability and is part of our responsibility as your property manager.
Not always. Properties require ongoing maintenance regardless of tenant behavior. Things break and wear out over time. If there is reasonable evidence that damage resulted from tenant negligence, we will charge the repair back to them. Normal wear and tear, however, is the owner’s responsibility under New Mexico law.
Our contractors are an important part of this process. As disinterested third parties, they document conditions during every visit and report any signs of tenant-caused damage.
We make every reasonable attempt to contact you before authorizing significant repairs. However, New Mexico law and the lease agreement require that certain repairs be made within a timely manner. If we are unable to reach you within a reasonable timeframe, we will authorize the repair to protect the property and meet our legal obligations. The urgency of the situation will determine how long we wait before proceeding.
When a tenant moves out, cleaning costs are charged against their security deposit (including both the interior and yard). If the home needs additional light cleaning before a tenant move in, that cost falls to the owner.
For properties we are taking on for the first time, we require the property to meet our cleaning standards before placing a tenant. This protects you: we hold tenants to a high standard at move-out, and that standard needs to be established at move-in.
Yes, on a case-by-case basis. Any contractor you choose must meet the following requirements:
Using an unlicensed contractor may put you in violation of state law and could void your insurance coverage if a problem arises from the work.
A few additional points: your contractor must be paid directly by you; we must have their name and contact information to coordinate scheduling directly with them; and if they are unresponsive or fail to perform in a timely manner, we reserve the right to engage one of our contractors to complete the work.
When a property is vacant, utilities are transferred into your name and billed to us for payment from your funds. This keeps the property move-in ready, allows us to clean between tenants, and ensures utilities are active when a new tenant takes occupancy.
Upon move-in, the tenant has four days to transfer utilities into their name. If they fail to do so, those costs are billed back to them.
As the owner, you are responsible for any tank rental fees and for ensuring the tank is fully filled before a tenant moves in. When the tenant vacates, they are responsible for returning the tank to a full level.
Collecting rent on time is fundamental to protecting your investment. Here is how we handle non-payment:
A successful eviction through Magistrate Court results in a judgment against the tenant, which is a court order requiring them to pay what is owed. However, collecting on that judgment is a separate matter. Steinborn is not a collection agency and does not pursue garnishment or other debt recovery actions.
With your written authorization, we can refer the account to a local collection agency.
The agency pursues collection through their standard process. If they are successful, their fee is typically 40% of the amount collected. The remaining 60% goes to you. If nothing is collected, there is no charge. Steinborn receives no portion of any funds recovered.
No. Tenant selection is governed by state and federal fair housing laws. Our qualification criteria focus specifically on ability to pay, credit history, and rental history. This protects you from fair housing liability and ensures a legally sound selection process.
Yes. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, tenants have the right to make reasonable modifications related to their disability. The modifications are made at their expense, and you may require the property be restored to its original condition when they vacate, also at their expense.
Generally, no. This appears automatically when your owner account balance drops below the minimum reserve established in your management agreement. This is often the result of a bill being processed after rent proceeds have already been sent to you. If we need funds from you, we will contact you directly with a specific explanation and amount.
You always have the right to sell. However, selling a tenant-occupied property presents real challenges: showings require at least 24 hours notice and must accommodate the tenant’s schedule; the tenant has no obligation to maintain the property in “show ready” condition; and most buyers intend to occupy the property at closing, which is complicated by an active lease the tenant cannot be forced to exit early.
For these reasons, we recommend waiting until the property is vacant before listing. If you decide to sell, we ask that the tenant be released from their lease and the property be vacated, cleaned, and prepared prior to listing. We also want to note that entering the property without proper notice is a violation of state law and could expose you to a damages claim.
The management fee is a percentage of gross rent collected, plus gross receipt taxes, each month the property is occupied. This includes any pet rent, which is factored into the total rent subject to the fee.
No. Steinborn limits deposits to one month’s rent regardless of purpose or designation. New Mexico law imposes specific requirements on deposits, including paying interest on amounts held, and this policy keeps us and you in a compliant position.
We follow the procedures established under the New Mexico Owner-Resident Relations Act (NMSA 47-8-1 through 47-8-52), which governs landlord-tenant matters in the state. If you have specific questions about how a violation is being handled, contact us directly.
Not necessarily. Under the New Mexico Owner-Resident Relations Act, tenants have the right to occupy the property with minimal interference, and eviction grounds must be substantive. A tenant’s housekeeping habits, while frustrating, are generally not sufficient legal grounds for lease termination.
If you have specific concerns about property conditions, contact us and we will assess whether any actionable violations exist.
State law requires that a final statement of tenant charges be issued within 30 days of move-out, and we use that window to prepare the property. If you need earlier access, we can arrange it. However, taking possession before that process is complete may require accepting the property as-is and waiving cleaning or repair charges against the tenant.
No. New Mexico law requires an itemized statement of all charges against the tenant’s deposit. Work performed by the owner is difficult to defend if a tenant challenges the charges in Magistrate Court. When a licensed contractor completes the work, they can testify to the scope and cost.
When a tenant pays on time, funds are sent by the 21st of the month via electronic transfer, or by check mailed no later than the 25th. Personal checks require a 14-day clearing period, which may affect timing.
If a tenant pays late, disbursement typically follows within 2 to 5 days of receipt, but we cannot guarantee a specific date. We understand this can create pressure when mortgage payments are involved and will communicate promptly if a delay is anticipated.
We conduct drive-by reviews of properties once or twice a year. The frequency varies by location. If we observe anything of concern, we will follow up promptly.
State law places specific limitations on landlord access to occupied properties, and we are deliberate about respecting those boundaries. We do conduct walk-throughs when there is reasonable cause for concern. Additionally, contractors who service the property report back to us on overall conditions during their visits.
