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Renting out your home can be time-consuming and stressful, from deciding on market-related rental fees and managing repair work to listing your home on multiple platforms and interviewing potential tenants. Luckily, Belong is a company that will take over the reins, seeing to the entire process on your behalf.

Belong’s Services

Belong is a property management company serving Santa Clarita Valley in Los Angeles, California, and Seattle, Washington. They offer a hands-free experience to homeowners who want to relinquish the stress and responsibilities of renting out their properties. Belong also serves tenants looking for a suitable home to call their own.

Belong offers the following services to homeowners:

• Guaranteed rent each month or a year upfront – the choice is yours.
• The company’s technology-first approach uses actual market data and real-time interest from potential residents to get the highest possible rent for your property.
• Staging, cleaning, maintenance, and renovation services by in-house or vetted tradespeople, including a quality guarantee.
• Complete transparency regarding all related fees.
• Real 24/7 concierge-level support.
• Protection against evictions with up to $15,000 of legal fees covered.
• Professional moving services to help you move out of your property.
• Finance options are available for managing your cash flow and reaching long-term financial goals on your terms, including coverage during vacancies.
• A user-friendly website and mobile app designed to manage the entire renting experience, including a review of your monthly earnings and home updates.
• You can even transfer an existing rental lease onto Belong’s platform if a tenant lives in your home.
• Tenants are subject to a background-, income-, credit checks, and in-person interviews.
• You can get $1,000 for making a successful referral (terms and conditions apply).

Try Belong Homeowners Property Management

Belong offers the following services to tenants:

• Maintenance and renovation services by either in-house or vetted tradespeople.
• Free state-of-the-art marketing and video tours.
• Real 24/7 concierge-level support, not just for emergencies.
• Professional moving services to help you move into the property.
• Tenants can convert to residents, i.e., if you pay rent on time, you can eventually build towards homeownership.
• A user-friendly website and mobile app designed to manage the renting experience.

Belong Comparison

Here is a summary of how Belong compares to other property management companies that service the Los Angeles, California area with regards to:

• 24/7 support
• Monthly management fee
• The charge for a vacancy
• Lease renewal charge
• Initial setup fee
• Online portal or app
• In-house tradespeople
• 3D/Virtual tour
• Evictions

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  Try Belong Homeowners Property Management

Belong’s Onboarding Process

Here is a step-by-step outline of the most critical steps in the process of joining Belong:

 Homeowners

• Step 1: Visit the Belonghome.com website and sign up as a homeowner.
• Step 2: Undergo a meeting with Belong’s Sales Development Representatives to ascertain whether you are a good fit for the company and its service offerings.
• Step 3: If suitable, you will be contacted by Belong’s Account Executive team, who will guide you through signing a property management agreement and scheduling a home inspection.
• Step 4: Belong will inspect your property, possibly making recommendations for improvement.
• Step 5: Belong’s pro team will complete the required work after reaching an agreement.
• Step 6: After completion of work, Belong’s Resident Growth team will list your property on their website and other third-party sites like Zillow, Trulia, HotPads, and Apartments.com.
• Step 7: Belong’s team will host tours for potential tenants, process applications, and finalize the lease agreements.

Tenants

• Step 1: Visit Belonghome.com and browse their listed rental properties.
• Step 2: If you see a property of interest, click ‘Apply’ or ‘Tour This Home.’ The latter allows you to take a 3D virtual tour of the property to see its features.
• Step 3: On the home listing, schedule a tour to see the property in person with one of Belong’s Resident Onboarding Specialists.
• Step 4: Once you are satisfied with the property, submit the required application, after which Belong’s team will conduct the necessary background-, credit-, and income checks.
• Step 5: If you are a suitable tenant, you will receive confirmation of your successful application.
• Step 6: Before moving into the property, the final steps will be paying the related fees and signing the lease.

Reviews of Belong: Strengths

Strong reviews of Belong (Santa Clarita Valley, Los Angels, CA) pertain, especially to their high level of customer service.

Homeowners

Most Los Angeles-based homeowners who reviewed Belong were impressed by their prompt and professional response to queries.

The Belong representatives are often described as ‘attentive,’ ‘respectful,’ and ‘helpful,’ as issues were generally handled well. A stand-out aspect of the team’s communication is that you get an assigned concierge rather than a call center when you reach out to Belong.

Besides the Belong team, many homeowners who published reviews online commented on the ease of onboarding and general use of the Belong website and app.

Many appreciate that Belong has an in-house maintenance team and a vendor network, which cuts costs and time spent vetting tradespeople.

The quality of the work done on properties was also highlighted, with some homeowners reporting that the workers went out of their way to do a good job, completing more maintenance tasks to the property than requested. Specific problems, like ant and rodent infestations and plumbing issues, were dealt with quickly and efficiently – often on the same day as it is reported!

Finally, one homeowner praised Belong for being incredibly supportive from the beginning of the renting process to the end, even during a break-in at their property soon after the tenant moved in.

Belong has seemingly ‘bent over backward’ for most homeowners, providing a service level that exceeded expectations.

  Try Belong Homeowners Property Management

Tenants

Most tenants praised Belong for helping them find a suitable home that satisfies their needs, commenting on the representatives’ patience, kindness, and helpfulness.

Belong services that stand out to tenants include professional moving services to aid in the transfer of furniture and other goods into the new property. Some even mentioned in reviews online that they were offered discount codes to furniture rental companies and that Belong recommended reputable cleaning crews and storage companies, relieving many tenants of the stress surrounding the move.

Tenants like that they can report issues or queries online (not just telephonically) and that an agent typically responds immediately.

Reviews of Belong: Downsides

Negative reviews linked to Belong (Santa Clarita Valley, Los Angels, CA) concern communication, repair work, and payments.

Homeowners

Where most homeowners have had exceptional communication from Belong, some have been frustrated by the level of ‘back-and-forth’ when trying to get an answer to a query or resolve a problem.

Some describe the Belong representatives as ‘vague’ and were frustrated by being routed multiple times to get an answer to a standard question. A few reviews online question whether all Belong reps are, in fact, ‘licensed’ and suggest better training to increase knowledge and offer better customer support.

Another distress point noted by a few homeowners is the quality of work done by Belong’s in-house and vetted tradespersons. One homeowner reviewed Belong stating that the workers could not complete the repair work to an acceptable standard and showed disrespect for the costs involved.

Most homeowners praise Belong for offering a relatively affordable rental management cost package. Still, one or two members question the monthly fee, stating that 8% is a bit high.

Tenants

Like some homeowners, tenants also found the number of emails, phone calls, and texts to Belong representatives excessive, often to solve relatively standard issues and queries. This backward and forward communication results in a time-consuming effort.

A few tenants reported many issues with Belong’s backend systems that process payments. Some had problems with transferred money not appearing on Belong’s end.

There also needs to be more transparent communication regarding fees. One tenant was particularly upset by the amount charged to them upon moving out, stating it was exceptionally high and was never effectively communicated. 

One final area for improvement is Belong’s response rate upon applying for a property. Where most tenants and homeowners had positive experiences, one tenant published a review online stating they waited weeks to get feedback on their application and request to view a property in person.

Belong Ratings

The following are published ratings for Belong:

• Scam Adviser: Trust score of 100/100, i.e., Belong is legit and safe to use.
• Better Business Bureau®: 3.89/5 (19 reviews)
• Zillow: 4.3/5 (32 reviews)
• Expertise: Reputation of 4.3/5 and Professionalism of 5/5
• Thumbtack: 4.8/5 (24 reviews)
• Google Rating: 4.8/5 (368 reviews)

FAQs

What type of services does Belong offer?

Belong offers various rental management services, from property listings to tenant screening and rent collection. They also assist with maintenance, repair, marketing, and more.

Are Belong’s representatives licensed?

Yes, all representatives are certified and licensed in the local market.

Is Belong easy to use?

Yes, Belong is designed to be user-friendly and provide an efficient rental management process. They offer an online dashboard where users can quickly access all relevant information and a customer service center with knowledgeable agents available 24/7 to answer questions or issues. They also provide an automated system that allows customers to re-  ­­­­port issues or queries online (not just telephonically) and that an agent typically responds immediately.

What is the cost of Belong’s services?

Belong’s service fees vary depending on the package selected but generally range from 8 to 12 percent of each month’s rent. There may also be additional costs for certain services, such as repairs or marketing.  However, Belong offers more affordable rental management packages than most competitors.   ?

 Conclusion

Overall, homeowners and tenants/residents in the Los Angeles area have been happy with Belong’s services. Although a few encountered specific challenges with Belong, this is not an exact reflection of the more positive experiences of the broader Belong community.

References

Belong Review