Published by Kelly Sells Boston · About Kelly Cui
Key points
- A leasing engagement and ongoing property management are different services. What each covers, and when it ends, comes from the written agreement, not from assumptions.
- The condo association works from the master deed, bylaws and rules. It does not take over the owner’s duties to the tenant.
- Write down who approves spending, up to what amount, and who to call when the owner cannot be reached. A spending limit never delays an emergency.
- Security deposits stay separate from rent and operating money at every step, including when a manager changes.
- Hiring a manager does not transfer the owner’s legal duties as landlord.
Leasing is a project; management is ongoing
A leasing engagement can cover listing preparation, photographs, showings, application coordination and the lease, but its actual scope and end point come from the written agreement. Check whether it ends at signing, at move-in or at another agreed milestone, and what remains to be done at that point. A leasing engagement does not include ongoing management unless the agreement says so.
Ongoing management starts after move-in: taking repair requests, scheduling vendors, following rent receipts and answering the tenant’s day-to-day questions. If no one has agreed to do this, it stays with the owner. Decide before the lease is signed who the tenant will contact from the first day, and tell the tenant in writing.
- Whether the leasing agreement ends at signing, at move-in or at another milestone
- Who the tenant contacts in the first weeks after move-in
- Who looks after the unit while it is vacant between tenancies
Who does what: a responsibility matrix
The table shows a common way the work divides when an owner uses both a leasing agent and a manager in a condo building. It is a starting point, not a rule: the leasing agreement, the management agreement and the condo documents decide who actually does each task. Where your contracts are silent, assume the task is still the owner’s. Copy the matrix and mark each row with the name of the person who has agreed to it.
| Task | Owner | Leasing agent | Property manager | Condo association |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listing, photos, showings | Approves the listing and the asking rent | Prepares and runs it, if in the leasing agreement | Coordinates access and readiness, if engaged | Sets building rules for showings and moves, where its documents say so |
| Screening and choosing a tenant | Makes the final decision unless authority is given in writing | Collects applications and verifies them under one written standard | Only if the agreement includes it | May require lease copies or tenant registration, where its documents say so |
| Signing the lease | Signs, unless written authority is given | Prepares the lease, if agreed | Only if agreed | Not a party |
| Upfront payments and the security deposit | Remains responsible for the deposit account, receipts and interest | Handles lawful upfront payments, if agreed | Administers the deposit separately from operating money, if agreed | No role |
| Monthly rent and statements | Receives statements and payments | Usually none after the lease is signed | Collects rent and reports, per the agreement | Bills common charges and assessments to the owner |
| Repairs inside the unit | Carries the maintenance duty; approves work above the limit | Notes visible conditions while preparing the listing | Takes requests and sends vendors within the limit | Only items the condo documents assign to it |
| Common areas and building systems | Reports problems; pays assessments | No role | Reports to the building manager and follows up | Maintains them as the master deed and bylaws provide |
| Emergencies | Keeps insurance in force; makes major decisions | Not an emergency contact after the engagement ends, unless agreed | First contact for the tenant, if the agreement says so | Building-wide alarms, main shut-offs and common structure |
| Renewals and notices | Decides renewal terms | Only under a new engagement | Sends and records notices, if agreed | No role |
The condo association’s part
For a condo, read the governing documents to find the boundary between the unit and the common elements, who maintains what, and what authority has been given to the building manager. Do not judge by appearance whether the association maintains a shared-looking system, and do not assume it never has duties involving equipment inside a unit. An association’s management contract also does not include the owner’s tenant communications or lease administration. Our guide to condo rental approval lists the questions to ask before renting.
When a building issue affects the tenancy, decide who will contact the building manager, give the facts and follow up. Confirm the registration and move-in rules that actually apply in this building. Keep a record of the contact, the documents requested, the reply and what is still open, so that the owner, the unit manager and the association are not each assuming someone else has acted.
- The building’s move-in rules, elevator reservations and amenity rules
- How to submit a work order to building management, and its emergency number
- A written record of every notice sent about common-area problems affecting the unit
Listing, showings and screening
Before the unit is advertised, someone should walk through it and confirm what works and what is included: heat, appliances, fixtures, windows, storage and parking. The listing should describe the unit plainly with current photos. Judge the market by real inquiries and showings rather than page views.
Whoever handles applications should apply one written screening standard to every applicant, collect the application, credit report and income verification with the applicant’s consent, and give the owner a summary. The owner makes the final decision and signs the lease unless authority has been given in writing. Our tenant screening guide covers what may and may not be asked.
- A pre-listing check of heat, lighting, plumbing fixtures and major appliances
- A log of inquiries, showings and feedback with dates
- An application file with the applicant’s consent, income verification and references
Rent, deposits and the monthly statement
Whoever collects rent should pay the owner on the agreed schedule and send a statement showing what came in, what was paid out with the original invoices, and what is left in the operating account. The table below is a simplified, hypothetical month with no management fee shown; it only illustrates how the lines should add up.
The security deposit and its interest never appear in that calculation. Massachusetts treats the deposit as the tenant’s money: it is held in a separate interest-bearing account in a Massachusetts bank, with the receipts and annual interest the statute requires, and it is not used for repairs or mixed with the owner’s or the manager’s funds. The management agreement should say who holds that account, who issues the receipts and who prepares the accounting when the tenancy ends.
| Line (hypothetical) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Operating reserve at the start of the month | $2,000 |
| Rent received this month | + $3,500 |
| Approved repair paid, with invoice | minus $450 |
| Paid to the owner | minus $3,000 |
| Operating balance at the end of the month | $2,050 |
| Security deposit and its interest | Held in the separate deposit account; not part of this statement |
Repairs, spending limits and emergencies
The agreement should state who receives a repair request, who obtains quotes and who approves the cost. If the owner gives the manager a spending limit, write down what it covers and how work above it gets approved, usually by email or through the management portal. A spending limit, or an owner who has not replied, does not remove the duty to keep the unit up to the State Sanitary Code, and it is never a reason to delay emergency steps.
For electrical, gas, plumbing or heating work, use an appropriate professional and check the licenses and permits the job requires, along with the insurance arrangements you agreed on. Do not ask someone without the right qualifications to take systems apart.
When people are in danger, safety comes first and approval comes later. If anyone smells gas, everyone should leave the building, and call 911 and the gas company from outside. No one should stay inside to look for the leak, operate switches or restart equipment. For a heating failure in cold weather or a serious leak, contact the right emergency service or trade straight away, then report to the owner.
- A repair log with the time of the report, the tenant’s description, photos and priority
- The spending limit per job and the approval route for anything above it
- Licenses, insurance certificates and itemized invoices for each vendor
- Records of every emergency step taken and what it cost
Owners in another time zone: an approval and contact sheet
Messages sent at random hours lead to slow decisions. Agree on a primary channel and a backup, how quickly the owner will answer routine questions, and a local person who can act when something cannot wait. Fill in the second column of the sheet below and give a copy to everyone in the matrix above.
If the property is in Boston and the owner lives outside Massachusetts, the city’s rental registration requires a Boston-area emergency contact. Our guide for overseas owners covers managing from abroad.
| Item | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Routine repair limit | Amount per job, and what it covers |
| Approval above the limit | Who approves, by what channel, and the expected reply time |
| Emergency contact order | First contact, local backup, then the owner, with phone numbers |
| Building management | Name, work order route and emergency number |
| Security deposit account | Bank, account holder, and who issues receipts and the annual statement |
| Insurance | Insurer, policy contact, and when to report a claim or a vacancy |
| Advisers | Attorney and tax adviser for matters outside management |
Renewals, notices and records
Renewals, rent changes and move-outs all depend on dates in the lease, so someone has to own the calendar. Agree on who asks the tenant about renewal and when, who records the answer in writing, and who collects a forwarding address at move-out. Keep the signed lease, every amendment and every formal notice in one file that the owner can open at any time.
- A neutral written inquiry asking whether the tenant plans to renew
- The renewal and notice dates taken from the lease
- One file holding the signed lease, amendments and formal notices
When an agreement ends, and what never transfers
When a leasing agent or manager leaves, ask for a written handover: the current lease and amendments, deposit records and the account details, the tenant’s contact history, open work orders, vendor contacts, keys and fobs, and a reconciliation of the operating account. Sign a receipt listing what changed hands. The deposit moves with its records and stays separate from operating money.
Delegating the work does not delegate the owner’s legal position. Under Chapter 186, Section 14, a landlord may not interfere with the tenant’s quiet enjoyment, cut off utilities or services the landlord is required to provide, or try to regain possession without going through the court. Changing locks, shutting off utilities or holding back necessary repairs to push a tenant out is not allowed, whoever is managing. Contract disputes, eviction and tax filings belong with an attorney and an accountant.
- A signed handover receipt listing keys, fobs, lease files and warranties
- A reconciliation of the operating account, prepaid rent and unpaid bills, with the deposit account shown separately
- Contact details for the attorney and tax adviser
General information for Massachusetts owners, current as of the date shown. It is not legal or tax advice. Who does what in your case depends on your signed agreements and the condo documents.