Poplar Homes Property Management Review

Poplar Homes is one of the popular names in the property management industry. In this Poplar Homes property management review, we aim to answer the question whether the company is worth it for investors nationwide. To this end, we will look at the services that Poplar offers, the guarantees that they provide, the locations that they cover, the property types that they manage, and the fees that they charge. We will also take a look at what property owners and renters think about the firm.

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What Is Poplar Homes Property Management?

Poplar Homes is one of the big residential property management companies that manages long-term rentals across the nation. Currently, Poplar has 15,000+ doors under management in 17 states. The firm serves over 7,000 rental property owners and more than 30,000 residents.

Greg Toschi, Rico Mok, and Chuck Hattemer founded the company in 2014, with headquarters in Cupertino, CA. The company aims to be a network of locally trusted property managers with national reach. They focus on the use of technology and professional teams to power their innovative business model designed to elevate the rental experience for all parties involved. Poplar’s work is based on the virtues of intelligence, innovation, responsibility, grit, integrity, and respect.

Where Poplar Homes Property Management Operates

According to our Poplar Homes review, their property management services are available in numerous US cities, spread across 17 states.

• Arizona: Casa Grande, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe
• California: Cupertino, Fremont, Inland Empire, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Milpitas, Mountain View, Oakland, Orange County, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale, and Van Nuys
• Colorado: Aurora, Boulder, Denver, and Thornton
• Illinois: Chicago
• Indiana
• Maryland: Baltimore and Bowie
• Michigan
• Missouri: St. Louis
• Nevada: Henderson and Las Vegas
• North Carolina: Apex, Carey, Morrisville, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem
• Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton
• Oregon: Eugene, Portland, and Springfield
• South Carolina: Charleston
• Tennessee: Nashville
• Texas: Angleton, Austin, Bastrop, Cedar Park, Conroe, Houston, Hutto, Jarrell, Lago Vista, Pflugerville, Round Rock, San Antonio, Spring, and Tomball
• Washington: Bellevue, Bothel, Everett, Kirkland, Redmont, Seattle, Snohomish, and Tacoma
• Wisconsin

This is a strong market presence, including some of the best cities to buy a rental property nationwide.

Poplar Homes Property Management Services

Our Poplar Homes property management review shows that the company provides comprehensive property management services to landlords that include:

• Property listing with photos
• Automatic property syndication on Poplar’s network of the highest-performing rental websites, with premium placements
• Resident tours and remote showings
• Resident placement
• Lease preparation
• Rent collection
• Guaranteed owner rent payouts
• Access to owner dashboard to track earnings, view property updates, check maintenance requests, and reach customer support
• Home warranty
• Coverage for different appliances and home systems
• Annual home health and safety inspection
• 24/7 maintenance via vetted and insured vendors, with zero markup fees
• Real-time, robust financial reporting including expense and income tracking
• Eviction protection
• Capital improvements

Poplar Homes Guarantees

Furthermore, Poplar provides the following guarantees to rental property owners:

• Rent Guarantee: Property owners will receive their payout by the third business day of the month even when tenants pay rent late.
• $15k Eviction Coverage: Poplar Homes covers up to $15,000 in eviction costs in case a tenant placed by them needs to get evicted.
• 24/7 Maintenance: The Poplar team is on standby to process maintenance requests and resolve issues around the clock.

Poplar Homes Property Types

Poplar Homes manages different types of residential properties rented out on a long-term basis including single-family homes, townhouses, condos, apartments, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes.

Poplar Homes Property Management Costs

Poplar Homes offers the same three service plans in all available markets. The pricing depends on the number of doors and the monthly rent:

1-3 Doors

Leasing Only: This plan covers everything needed to rent out a property to a quality tenant.

• Leasing fee: One month’s rent
• Lease renewal fee: Free

Poplar Standard: This plan covers everything in Leasing Only plus the main services needed to run a long-term rental business.

• Leasing fee: 75% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $1,200-$1,999; 50% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $2,000+
• Monthly management fee: 10% of monthly rent of $1,200-$1,599; 9% of monthly rent of $1,600-$2,599; 8% of monthly rent of $2,600-$3,999; 5% of monthly rent of $4,000+

Poplar 360: This plan covers everything in Poplar Standard plus home warranty, $3,000 maintenance credit, $1,000 capital improvement credit, and coverage for 21 types of appliances and home systems.

• Leasing fee: 75% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $1,200-$1,999; 50% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $2,000+
• Monthly management fee: 13% of monthly rent of $1,200-$1,599; 11% of monthly rent of $1,600-$2,599; 9% of monthly rent of $2,600-$3,999; 8% of monthly rent of $4,000+

4+ Doors

Leasing Only

• Leasing fee: One month’s rent
• Lease renewal fee: Free

Poplar Standard

• Leasing fee: 100% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $700-$999; 75% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $1,000-$1,999; 50% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $2,000+
• Monthly management fee: 12% of monthly rent of $700-$999; 8% of monthly rent of $1,000-$1,599; 6% of monthly rent of $1,600-$2,599; 5% of monthly rent of $2,600-$3,999; 4% of monthly rent of $4,000+

Poplar 360

• Leasing fee: 100% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $700-$999; 75% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $1,000-$1,999; 50% of one month’s rent for monthly rent of $2,000+
• Monthly management fee: 15% of monthly rent of $700-$999; 11% of monthly rent of $1,000-$1,599; 9% of monthly rent of $1,600-$2,599; 8% of monthly rent of $2,600-$3,999; 7% of monthly rent of $4,000+

Poplar property management fees are rather high for homes with low rental rates. However, the costs become affordable and competitive as the monthly rent and the number of doors go up. So, this is one of the best rental property management companies for the owners of multiple luxurious rentals in covered markets.

Poplar Homes Property Management Terms

Poplar Homes works with one-year management agreements. Property owners can cancel services before the end of the 12 months but after the first 30 days by reimbursing the company for all credited services or paying a flat fee of $500. This is because Poplar does not charge any fees upfront.

Poplar Homes Property Management Reviews

There are over 2,700 online Poplar Homes property management reviews on third-party websites that show mixed experiences.

You can find Poplar Homes reviews on:

• Birdeye: Currently 4.5/5 stars based on 1,055 reviews
• Google: Currently 4.5/5 stars based on 1,011 reviews
• Trustpilot: Currently 2.0/5 stars based on 581 reviews
• Yelp: Currently 1.2/5 stars based on 30 reviews
• BBB.org: Currently 1.3/5 stars based on 26 reviews

Positive reviews of Poplar Homes highlight the prompt handling of maintenance requests, the wonderful maintenance and repairs works, the follow-up processes, the professionalism, the serious attitude, the level of customer service, the helpfulness, the comprehensive answers to all questions, the provided suggestions and recommendations, the amazing interactions, the responsiveness, the kindness, the awesome team members, and the on-time communication via various channels.

Negative reviews, on the other hand, discuss disheartening experiences, horrible services, multiple property issues, slow addressing of maintenance requests and implementation of repairs work, money thefts, deplorable payment practices, difficult cancellation procedures, continuing withdrawals of rent after moving out, terrible customer service, and lack of communication.

Generally, property owners and tenants report very different experiences across markets when working with national property managers. Thus, you should check out local Poplar Homes property management reviews, focused on your market, before deciding whether this is the best choice for your needs.

Poplar Homes Property Management Alternatives

Our review of Poplar Homes shows that this can be a good option for the owners of different property types located in available markets. However, the multiple negative reviews by landlords and tenants make one doubt whether the company truly delivers the promises that it makes on its website. Thus, it might be worth considering one of the top alternatives to Poplar Homes in the US market.

The main Poplar competitors include:

HomeRiver Group

HomeRiver Group is the top third-party, full-service, long-term rental property management company nationwide. The firm manages more than 40,000 rental homes and 32,000+ properties within HOA communities in numerous cities in 31 states, making it one of the most widely spread property managers in the US. HomeRiver Group works with both single-family homes and small multifamily properties rented out on a long-term basis.

HomeRiver supplies full-service property management, from listing and marketing, all the way to maintenance and eviction services. The provided services are of high quality, allowing landlords to make passive income from their rental properties. The company charges a mix of flat fees and percentages of monthly rent, in line with local trends. Property management fees are always affordable and competitive, starting at 5% of rental income.

Mynd

Mynd is one of the largest  full-service property management companies working exclusively with single-family properties rented out on a long-term basis. Mynd manages 11,000+ rentals distributed in more than 30 cities in 12 states, from coast to coast.

Mynd offers all-inclusive property management services that cover everything from getting properties rent-ready to repairing them when needed. Importantly, as one of the best Poplar Homes alternatives, Mynd provides $5,000 Rental Income Guarantee and $5,000 Eviction Cost Coverage. The company charges flat monthly fees that range between $75 and $199, depending on the market and the number of properties in an investor’s portfolio. Additionally, property owners need to pay a leasing fee and a lease renewal fee.

Evernest

Evernest is another major full-service property management company that works with different types of residential properties. The company has a portfolio of more than 15,000 long-term rentals belonging to 6,000 owners. Evernest manages single-family homes, condos, and small multifamily properties rented out on an annual basis.

Evernest provides comprehensive property management services, from property marketing and advertising, to accounting and financial reporting. The Evernest property management fees are a mix of flat fees (between $89 and $199) and percentages of rental income (between 7% and 10%). Separately, landlords have to cover a leasing fee and a lease renewal fee.

PURE Property Management

PURE Property Management is a full-service property management firm serving different kinds of residential long-term rentals. The company covers numerous cities in 22 states. They work with single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and small apartment buildings.

PURE property management services include everything needed to successfully manage a long-term rental property, from property evaluations and recommendations for boosting rental income, all the way to eviction protection. Each local branch charges a different fee, including both flat fees and percentages of monthly rent. Owners also need to pay a leasing fee, a lease renewal fee, and some additional fees, depending on the market. Usually there are discounts for multiple properties.

A Better Property Management

A Better Property Management Co. (ABPMCO) constitutes one of the oldest full-service property managers in the US market. The firm works with long-term rentals located in Long Beach and West Orange County, which makes them one of the best property management companies in California. However, the very restricted market coverage is a main disadvantage of ABPMCO. The firm works with houses, townhomes, condos, and apartment buildings. At the moment, they have over 150 rental properties in their portfolio.

A Better Property Management takes care of all services needed to run a rental business, from placing tenants to managing finances. The company charges competitive rates of 5%-7% of rent, depending on the property type and size, with discounts available for multiple properties.

Haven Property Management

Haven Property Management is a full-service property management company that provides services in the Puget Sound area. While this is one of the best property managers in Washington State, the narrow geographical coverage works to the company’s disadvantage. The firm takes care of houses, townhomes, and condos rented out on a long-term basis.

Haven Property Management offers comprehensive services to local rental property owners. The firm charges a single monthly management fee of 10% of monthly rent, which makes them a top choice for simple pricing in the Washington State market. Leasing fees and lease renewal fees are also clear and easy to understand.

ES Property Management

ES Property Management is a full-service property management firm operating in the Indianapolis market. They work with individual single-family homes, condos, apartments, duplexes, and other residential properties rented out on a long-term basis in addition to entire real estate investment portfolios.

The quantity and quality of services delivered by ES Property Management make it one of the top property management firms in Indianapolis. Nevertheless, the limited coverage is a major drawback. The company charges a leasing fee of one month’s rent and a monthly management fee of 10% of rental income. This is a clear pricing model, but the fees exceed what some other popular property management companies ask for.

Takeaway

Our Poplar Homes property management review shows that this could be a good option for some real estate investors. The company provides comprehensive services across several markets. The main drawbacks include not covering some top locations for investing in rental properties, above-average fees for cheaper homes, and multiple negative reviews by property owners and renters.

Meanwhile, HomeRiver Group is the best alternative to Poplar Homes for investors looking for full-service management of high quality, at competitive rates. Other possible alternatives are Mynd, Evernest, PURE Property Management, A Better Property Management, Haven Property Management, and ES Property Management.