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Looking after your little piece of paradise (Rental Properties) in the Orlando, Four Corners and Kissimmee area of Florida.

Questions	Answers
Utilities USA vs. UK	Do not trust any of these USA utilities companies!. All utilities here in Florida are much more expensive than they are in the UK. If you paid a quarter in the UK for what you pay a month here in Florida you would go mad. This is why we fit timers on as many of our exterior fans and pool light etc, so guests do not go out to the parks and leave them on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We also lock off all exterior bibs (Taps) and exterior electric sockets because people WILL steal your utilities and the Police here in Florida do not want to know or help, I know, I have dealt with this one on a number of occasions! On a number of occasions we have contacted the local Police Department when we have found somebody steeling the service supply and they have more important things to do, sure they attend but they put up all the excuses like what was the meter reading before the water or electricity was taken etc etc. (What a load of crap, even when you have caught the people red handed with the hose or electric cable running to another property especially when you are on a new subdivision and the builders are building another home next door or putting in a new pool etc, you take photos and call the police the police make all these excuses, try going to Publics and put something in your pocket and walk out without paying, see then what happens, it's the same difference it's still stealing!) There's always an excuse! I think I've seen it all but sometimes even I get surprised!
Running cost of villas in the USA (Florida)	This depends on what size of Villa you are running, the rule of thumb is the smaller the villa the less it's going to cost, but the lower the rental income, also think about the size of the lawn, if it's irrigated by reclaimed water then it's not such a big problem but if it's irrigated by normal drinking water then the larger the plot the more water it's needs to keep the grass looking green and the more its going to cost you.
What is the best villa for me.	More and more people are taking their homes of the rental market and placing them into our caretaking program to keep their homes for themselves, this is a good idea if you do not want any ware and tear and also if you can afford to do this, most people cannot and need an income to offset their charges. We sometime take villas from other Management Companies which are in a terrible state and we really cannot see why these homes have been so neglected, most have been used by tour operator or long term rentals and have been badly abused and the owners of these homes cannot believe how badly they have been treated.
Does Long Term Rentals Work	In a word No, We do not get involved with long term rentals as we have heard only bad things about these, you have to be very lucky not to have a bad one, all the Management Companies that we know that specialize in Long Term Rentals do regret doing this as they always end up with the owners having to foot the bill for the neglect on the rental clients behalf as the security deposit does not cover the damage.
What should I look for when looking to buy a Villa / Home here in Florida with regards to rental and running costs.	The most important thing to remember is obtain a good Realtor, We only recommend one as we have known quite a few over the years and only one that really looks after her clients interest. They are the people who are supposed to look after your interest not just to line their own pockets. They are the only people who can legally talk about purchasing a home here, anybody else is breaking the law and heavy penalties will be levied against them. All we can do is point you in the direction of who we recommend for real estate and also tell you what our own owners are paying for their different size villas. Also before you purchase a home, get a couple of Management Companies to come round and have a chat regarding looking after your home, tell them what you are doing and go with your gut instincts. Do not just rely on the Realtor to recommend one as all they are doing is recommending ones that give them a referral fee for telling you they are the best Management Company to use here in Florida. Things to think about, do not get one with a double story, (Air Con Is Higher). Do not buy a home with conservation behind ( Unless there's a lake behind the home) because the counties can change what the land is used for, I know because on a number of occasion we and friends have had people buy these homes only to have in a couple of years the land behind is flattened and new estates built.

Frontline Florida Property Management Inc