May 15th Tax Protests Deadline
It’s almost time for the protest season to begin, and the deadline is coming upon us very quickly! We’ve had great success partnering with Home Tax Shield, and they’ve achieved savings for many of our clients. If you already participate in the protest process through us and Home Tax Shield, you’ll get notifications directly from them as the process hits certain milestones. If you’d like to get set up to protest this year, you can use the link above to get started.
Here is some data from the 2025 protest season that our participating clients benefit from:
$214,630 Total tax savings for our clients
Average Tax Savings of $367
If you’re unfamiliar with the tax protest process or benefits, you can find more info here where we go in detail. There is no better value proposition than a contingency-based service that only costs you a portion of the taxes you won’t have to pay if they are able to reduce your taxable valuation. If they don't reduce your tax bill, then you don't pay anything.
Any current participants should confirm that their accounts are paid and have a valid payment method on file. If there is an unpaid balance on the account then the current year protest may not be filed, and if the deadline is missed, there is no way to participate until next year. You can check your account by going to their website, select Sign In, and enter the email address associated with your account to receive an email containing your “magic link” that logs you in automatically.
If you have questions about the process, the status of your account, the email associated with your account, or anything else, please use the chat feature on the bottom right corner of the Home Tax Shield site to get help from them directly.
Summer Leasing Season
We are working vigilantly to get lease renewals done, and if a property is vacant, we want to get it leased as quickly as possible. Renewals in particular are good to secure as early as possible since the market continually shifts with each passing day. Whether or not renewal is an option, now is a good time to talk to your property manager and discuss the best options to get things done well in advance of a renewal or vacancy.
We’ve mentioned in the past that incentives are back in the leasing market, so considering some kind of offer proactively to attract a tenant to a vacant property or keeping them at lease renewal should be discussed with your property manager. Incentives can be offered to both new and renewing tenants. A reduced or free period of rent on a new lease is very common. With lease renewals some tenants may ask for something like cleaning the AC ducts or providing a mid-lease carpet cleaning for example, which is a small expense relative to turnover. The act of simply not, or minimally, raising the rent when offering renewal terms is also a good way to keep a tenant who doesn’t want the expense and hassle of moving. While you don’t have to offer anything, we want everyone to be aware of the increasingly competitive nature of the lease market.
Property and Flood Insurance
In our previous blog post we talked about insurance and the changing landscape while costs continue to go up for policyholders. One thing we didn’t discuss, and feel is worth mentioning, is flood insurance. Most people don’t know if their property is in an area that has potential for flooding in long term scenarios such as 100 year or longer flood plains. Development can also alter floodplains significantly and cause flooding that standard policies don’t cover. We have seen it happen to our clients and recommend reviewing your property’s location and potential for flooding when considering whether you should have a flood policy. They are relatively low cost for the benefit of recovery if it happens and are definitely worth looking into.
We are not experts but work closely with Andor Insurance. The principals of Stone Oak partnered with an insurance industry veteran to set up Andor Insurance Agency for the purpose of providing exceptional service and options to our clients after seeing some bad insurance related mishaps. Some common issues are having the wrong policy, inadequateness, or lack of coverage among other things. Ryan, the rock star agent and great human that answers the phones and emails at Andor, has spent a good deal of time putting together a strong portfolio of options that cater to real estate investors and homeowners. He’s happy to review your policies, answer questions, shop policies, and make recommendations whether you become a client or not. He always enjoys the opportunity to research options for home, landlord, auto, business, and many other types of insurance and has no issue recommending that someone buy a policy that he did not quote if it is the best option for the circumstances. If you’d like to connect with him the contact info is available here.
Thank you for your trust in us! We always welcome your feedback and questions. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need anything at this time.
Reminders:
Funding Make-Readies & Maintenance for Your Property
Please note that it is Bay Property Management Group Austin 's policy that the owner has reserve funding on hand with Bay Property Management Group Austin to help us commence work faster when it comes to make-readies and maintenance on your property. Bay Property Management Group Austin cannot perform maintenance without first receiving authorization and funding, which can slow down the turn-around times of our vendors and their availability in this market. This can also potentially create a negative experience that tenants will remember when it comes time to renew, and we always want to avoid turning over the tenants. Any time we request authorization for work on your property, the best practice is to immediately fund your account when you provide written authorization to move forward. This is as simple as going into your owner portal and using ACH for a free transfer, or if you prefer a credit card the processor charges a fee as part of the transaction.
Keep in mind that tenant charges on your account are not considered an offset to this amount as we keep a strict accounting system for both our and our client's benefits. Any tenant chargeable items will be posted to their account, and once they are paid it is immediately credited to your account. If you have any questions about this reserve amount held with Bay Property Management Group Austin, please contact your property manager.
