How to Get Property Manager and Landlord Accounts for a Floor Business
To win property manager and landlord accounts, offer a fast, predictable way to make worn floors look good again between tenants, at a set price per square foot, with your insurance and paperwork ready before they ask. Every tenant move-out leaves scuffed floors, and replacing them is slow and expensive. This post covers why rentals are steady work, what property managers expect from a vendor, how to find them, and how to price and run the work.
Why rentals are steady work
A homeowner might need a recoat once in a long while. A landlord with ten units has a turnover somewhere almost every month. Each one leaves floors scuffed by furniture, pets and moving day. A property manager with hundreds of doors has even more.
For a lot of those floors, a recoat is the right fix. On wood, it renews the clear coat without sanding to bare wood. Many rentals also have LVP, and a recoat works there too. You lightly scuff the factory surface with a fine pad, roll on one coat, and it bonds to the wear layer, so the landlord gets a fresh wear layer instead of a replacement floor. Test a spot first on any LVP.
What a property manager wants
- Speed: the unit sits empty, earning nothing, until it is ready
- Set pricing: a rate per square foot they can budget for
- Clear scope: what you will do, and what needs a different fix
- Proof of the work: before and after photos for their records and the owner
- Paperwork: a certificate of insurance, a W-9 and clean invoices
- Reliability: you show up when booked, and you tell them right away if something changes
Property managers buy differently from homeowners. They do not need to be taught that floors wear out. They need the unit back on the market fast, at a cost they can plan for, with no surprises.
Empty units are ideal jobs
A vacant unit is the easiest recoat you will do. There is no furniture to move and no family to work around. One person does an average floor in about 3 hours. The floor can cure before the cleaners and the next tenant arrive.
Work with the manager on the order of trades. Floors usually go near the end of a turnover, after painting and repairs, so nothing gets dropped on a fresh coat. Ask to be told when the unit is ready for you.
Know which floors to turn down
Rental floors take hard use, so you will see more floors a recoat cannot fix. Wood worn through to gray, bare wood, deep gouges, pet stains soaked into the wood and peeling finish need more than a recoat. A recoat will not go on laminate, sheet vinyl or painted floors.
Tell the manager plainly. They will respect you for it, and it keeps your work from failing in a unit they have to rent. Some managers will ask you for a quick photo report of each unit before they book, which is a good habit anyway.
Where to find them
- Local property management companies: search your area and call the maintenance coordinator, not the front desk
- Landlord and real estate investor groups, which often meet monthly and online
- Your own customers: ask past customers whether they own rentals
- Realtors who also manage rentals for their clients
- Other vendors on turnovers, like painters and cleaners, who can mention you
Property managers are not hard to find, but the right person to talk to often is. Start here.
How to price account work
Use your normal rate per square foot as the starting point. Homeowners commonly pay about $1.50 to $3 a square foot for a recoat. Decide ahead of time whether you will offer a lower rate for steady volume, and how much volume earns it. Never go below your minimum job, because a small unit still needs a buffer rental, a drive and setup.
Know your costs before you agree to any account price. On an average 1,000 square foot floor, materials and job costs usually run about $360 to $460. Write the price, the scope and the payment terms down in a simple agreement, and invoice the day the job is done.
Get your paperwork ready first
Have your general liability insurance in place and be ready to send a certificate of insurance. Some managers will ask to be named on it. Have a W-9 ready. If you hire help, check your state's workers' comp rules, since managers often ask about that too. Get any license your state or city requires for floor work.
Where FloorIt fits
FloorIt builds a recoat business in your name, with a website, Google profile, phone and CRM, and trains you on wood floors and LVP. Our ads bring you your first 50 leads from homeowners. Accounts like property managers are work you build on top of that, and they are yours to keep.
Common questions
How do I get flooring work from property managers? Call the maintenance coordinator, offer a set price per square foot and fast turnaround, have your insurance certificate and W-9 ready, and send before and after photos after every unit.
Can scuffed LVP in a rental be recoated? Often, yes. A fine pad scuffs the factory surface, one coat bonds to the wear layer, and the floor gets a fresh wear layer. Test a spot first.
Should I give landlords a discount? Only for real, steady volume, decided ahead of time. Never go below your minimum job.
What paperwork do property managers ask for? Usually a certificate of insurance, a W-9 and invoices. Some ask about workers' comp if you have employees.