Is this even legal?

[CleanExtreme]

I know just about all of us have wondered about getting in good with say an apartment manager and kicking back ten dollars or so for every apartment sent our way. One way to keep a long term account. How about plumbers, and the big one, I often suspect restoration companys might be paying a finder fee for adjusters. Is any of this acceptable, ethical or legal? I'm sure it is being done in places, but with the right person it could be everything you need to keep them from checking with another company, if they can make an extra thousand for sending you a hundred apartments, but with others like an adjuster may take it as being crooked. For the record I dont pay finder fees, I'm just curious because the loyalty of some managers or adjusters to certain companies often looks more than just choosing to work with a quality company that they like, it seems to look like a 2 sided win. And interested in what experiences others may have had.

 

[Ron Werner]

so you're saying a referral reward would be unethical?

 

[John Olson]

What do you think lobbyist do in washington? A round a golf or a new Driver or putter for their birthday. Dinner and a show for their anniversary, Tickets to your local sports team. These things are OK. Cash...Not so much and cash to an adjuster is flat out illegal.

 

[Ken Snow]

I would bet the apartment owner would terminate the employee manager if they found out. Whether or not it is illegal or not it certainly would be immoral imo and even more so if the manaer accepted it. They are supposed to be looking out for the best interest of the apartment complex, its tenants and the owners investment not lining their pocket with graft.

 

[Nate The Great]

It's all too common here. It's like the old SMU football team, all good till the sh!t hits the fan.

Being honest, dependable, and getting it done right the first time, is all you'll ever need.

 

[Newman]

If you have to ask, it probably is.

When I was a Facilities Manager, I would have been fired. Then my contract stated I could be doused with tar, feathered, locked in the stockade in the town square, drawn, quartered, then burned at the stake and beheaded if I took a nickel from a contractor.

That would not have gotten you in any trouble

 

[steve frasier]

There was a carpet cleaning company in Portland that use to brag about how they got the complex by cleaning all the complex employees carpets for free. They also use to brag about cleaning one bedroom units in 10 minutes.

I had cleaned rentals for a guy that owned quite a few coffe shops. He always tried to get me to clean them for free coffee. I always told him no so he found someone that would. That guy happened to work for a franchise and was cleaning them on the side with a company truck.

He cleaned a few heat ducts also. Then one day a furnace did work. Well the coffee guy called the franchise company, not sure how it all turned out in the end.

The only reason I know most of the story is because I know some one that worked for the coffee guy

 

[steve g]

referral fee for apartments?? we barely made any money on them so I wouldn't pay a dime to any of them. doing apartments is a good way to wear out your equipment and make jack squat.

there is a rumor that a big restoration company in my area has a house boat at lake powell and they tell fire captains they can use it anytime they want.

another time an adjuster sets up an appointment one afternoon with a job I am working on for the next morning, the next morning rolls around and she has another contractor meet her out on the job, so she had to call him late that afternoon and tell him to meet her out there. I WONDER WHAT IN THE HELL IT TAKES TO HAVE AN ADJUSTER DO THAT!!!!!!! a trip to hawaii?? a freaking car lease?? sexual favors?? who knows but I can tell you I would like to know.

with adjusters even if you find one that likes gifts one has to be careful because it can be implied that you are inflating the jobs to cover those costs, that is called insurance fraud. it would not take much at all for a prosecutor to shoot first and ask questions later in such a case. there was a company in denver that got in trouble for turning in overpriced and inflated sub contractor bills. I wonder what ever happened in that case.

I had a talk with my attorney about offering things, he said I should keep it small, like lunch and stuff like that and stay away from big lavish gifts.

 

[Royal Man]

This post hasn't been about Realtors yet. But, it is also illegal for Realtors to receive any sort of referral fee/ kick back.
They can lose their licence if it is found out.

 

[idreadnought]

it is not considered a referal fee if the person is in charge of spending another persons money. That my friend is considered a kickback which at least is immoral and at best is illegal. A referal fee would apply if the manager refereed you to one of his tenants that was paying the cleaning himself. If I owned an apartment building and found out the manager was getting paid to send the work somewhere that manager would be heading somewhere too. Is it considered a tip for your tech to clean an extra room for free?

 

[steve r]

i agree with steve g i dont charge enough for apartments to give anything back.

i say just doing a good job for a reasonable price will keep you working. along with a good attitude. that may be the biggest secret to all of this anyway. if they like "you" they will probably keepusing you even when you do mess up.

 

[Ron Werner]

Just remembered I sent a prop mgr a $100 Starbucks card to thank her for choosing my service.

 

[Willy P]

I give a nice bottle of wine at Christmas and clean higher number property manager's carpets for free. I'll take them some stuff out of my garden or an extra fish or 2 in season. I build friendships with people I do work for and I don't see anything wrong with that.I taught one how to fly fish, another I ride bike with occasionally Christmas time this year I got 4 bottles of wine, a nice single malt scotch, ( I don't drink )chocolates, homemade cookies, coffee gift card and some teas. And this was from managers I do business for.

 

[vernonpurcell]

Choclates, cookies startbucks coffee, and so on to mee seem okay,

 

[Lyman]

I clean the managers house for free once a year and give the manager and employees a ham at xmas. 500 spent for about 10,000 of work. I always use empty apartments as fill ins at the end of the day.