By: Jenna Compton

Lara Rear is the manager of Webfoot Rentals in Eugene. She and her husband Clark also own a construction company, and the two business ventures are often times combined as they work with their tenants on rental properties. Webfoot Rentals is relatively small, but is dedicated to helping their residents.

There is now such a high demand for properties in Eugene and with students, it can sometimes be challenging to find the right property management company to work with. What is your advice to students on finding a good property manager for them? 

LR: You need to know your lease and you need to have your property manager go over your lease. Our leases can look like small novels because we’ve added to them. We have to include so many things, the social ordinance, things like that.

Have you dealt with issues with the social ordinance?

LR: We usually talk to our tenants about opening lines of communication so that if there is a problem, they can call us. It holds the owner accountable, though, for violations where we have to write into our leases that if you’re going to have the party and have the violation, you’re going to pay the fines but that if you do get into a situation where you need our help, we’ll be there.

From my research, it seems like students may even feel afraid or intimidated by property management. What are your thoughts on this as a property manager?

LR: You should never be intimidated by a property manager ever. No, I mean, they are there to help you. You’re going to see the rental market change; there are a lot of apartments that are going up now, there’s going to be a lot less demand and the property management companies have been in a great position where there’s been limited inventory, the inventory is gonna go way up. So hopefully that will help with services and you’ll have more of an inventory to choose from, a better fit.

Going back to keeping your company smaller and knowing your tenants, it must make it easier for tenants to communicate with you and vice versa?

LR: Well, what benefit is it to the property owner if you’re afraid? So let’s say you’re my tenant. And you, Jenna, are afraid to come to me because there is an issue in your apartment. What service is that doing to me as an owner of a property? I want you to have the relationship with me that I can go in and fix problems. That relationship is key because if you feel comfortable coming to me, you’re going to take care of the place better.