Key takeaways
- Put every request in writing with a deadline. A dated record is what a termination clause, the Texas Real Estate Commission or a court will look at.
- Terminate under the clause in your agreement, and ask in writing for the deposit, reserve, undisbursed rent, records and keys.
- Texas license law backs the demand: failing to surrender an owner's documents, or to account for and remit an owner's money within a reasonable time, is a ground for license discipline (Occupations Code 1101.652).
- Do not change the locks on an occupied house or tell the tenant to hold rent. Property Code 92.0081 restricts keeping a tenant out.
- Pick the next company on written commitments. Ours: calls and emails answered within one business day, or that month's management fee is credited.
A manager who will not respond has already given you grounds to leave. The job now, for a rental in Fort Worth, Keller or North Richland Hills, is to leave cleanly: document the silence, terminate under the terms of your agreement, get a new company in place before the next rent date, and recover your money and records. Done in that order, a switch from an unresponsive manager costs you little. Done out of order, it can cost a month of rent and the deposit.
This article is the sequence. The full guide to switching property managers covers the general case, including switching from a manager who is merely mediocre. Here the problem is a company that has gone quiet, which changes the tone of every step.
Step one: put the silence on paper
Before you terminate, build a short record that shows you tried. Not for your own satisfaction, but because the termination clause in most agreements works better with evidence of non-performance behind it, and because a regulator or a court will ask.
- Send one email to every address you have for the company and the broker named on your agreement, with a subject line that states the request plainly: owner statement, deposit accounting, repair status, whatever it is.
- Give a short, specific deadline, such as five business days.
- Keep a list: dates of calls, voicemails, emails and portal messages, and what each asked for.
- Check the Texas Real Estate Commission license lookup for the broker and the company. An expired or surrendered license tells you this is a closure, not just bad service.
Do not stop paying attention to the house while you wait. Call the tenant, confirm rent is being paid and where, and ask whether any repair is open. The tenant often knows more about what the company is doing than you do.
Step two: read the termination clause, then use it
Your management agreement has a termination section. It will say how much notice is required, whether there is an early termination fee, and, in most agreements, that either party may terminate for a material breach after notice. A manager who does not collect, account or respond is in breach of the core of the contract.
Send the termination notice in writing, to the notice address in the agreement and to the broker's email, and keep proof of delivery. It should contain four things:
- The date the agreement ends, citing the clause you are using and the non-performance that triggers it.
- A demand for the security deposit, your reserve, any undisbursed rent and a final owner statement, with a date.
- A demand for the lease, all addenda, the tenant ledger, inspection reports, repair records and vendor warranties.
- Instructions to return all keys, remotes and codes, and to stop collecting rent from the tenant as of the end date.
The agreement guide explains the clauses that matter if you want to check yours before writing. If the agreement has a termination fee, note that a termination for breach is usually a different path from an early cancellation for convenience, and say which one you are using. This is general information, not legal advice. For a large sum at stake, a short consult with an attorney before sending the notice is money well spent.
Step three: hire the new company in parallel, not afterward
The worst gap in a switch is the one where the old company has stopped working and the new one has not started. Avoid it by signing with the new manager before or on the same day you send the termination, with a start date that matches the end date in your notice.
A new manager who has handled this before will do most of the heavy lifting from that point. Expect them to draft the tenant notice for your signature, set the tenant up to pay the new company from the next rent date, request the records from the old company on your behalf, and schedule a documented inspection to establish condition. The guide to an old manager who will not release keys or records covers what to do if the old company stays silent after termination.
If you are in Fort Worth, Keller or North Richland Hills and want the transition handled by a company that takes over occupied rentals, tell us where things stand. A free rental analysis comes with market rent and a written management quote, with no obligation.
Step four: protect the tenant and the rent
The tenant is the person most affected by a bad handover and the one who can make it painless. One letter from you, countersigned or accompanied by the new manager, should say: the lease is unchanged, rent from the next due date goes to the new company at this portal or address, repairs go to this number, and the old company is no longer authorized to collect or enter.
Time the cutover to the rent cycle. If rent is due on the first and the old company's termination takes effect mid-month, the tenant pays the old company for the month already in progress and the new one from the next due date. Make that explicit in the letter so the tenant is never asked to pay twice or left guessing.
- Do not tell the tenant to stop paying or to hold rent. That creates a late-rent problem you will own.
- Do not change locks on an occupied house. Property Code 92.0081 restricts a landlord from keeping a tenant out of the home, so the fix for unknown keys is a rekey with a key handed to the tenant.
- Do not let a repair wait because the companies are arguing. Approve it through the new manager and sort the paperwork later.
Step five: escalate if money or records do not come back
A formal, written termination is usually what gets a quiet company to act. If yours still does not release your money or records, the escalation path is clear.
The Texas Real Estate Commission licenses the broker. Under Occupations Code 1101.652(b), the commission may suspend or revoke a license if the holder fails within a reasonable time to properly account for or remit money that belongs to another person, or commingles that money with its own. Under 1101.652(a)(5), failing to surrender to the owner, without just cause, a document the owner requests is also a ground for discipline. TREC Rule 535.146 requires a broker to keep trust money in a designated trust account and to give each beneficiary an accounting at least monthly when there has been activity.
A complaint naming the broker, with your termination notice and the unanswered demands attached, gets attention that email does not. For the deposit specifically, remember that you are the landlord under the lease and remain responsible to the tenant for its return at move-out whether or not the old company ever sends it, so pursue it first and keep the tenant informed in writing.
For a reserve or undisbursed rent that is not returned, an attorney's demand letter is the next step, followed by Justice Court or county court depending on the amount. Your record from step one, the termination notice and the new manager's written requests make that case for you. This is general information, not legal advice.
The best property managers to switch to if yours is unresponsive: what to check
Nobody can name the single best company for every owner, but you can test any candidate the same way. Match each problem you just lived through to one question, and accept only an answer that is in writing. The right column shows what we publish, as an example of what a written answer looks like:
| What went wrong | Ask the next manager | A written answer (ours, as published) |
|---|---|---|
| Calls and emails went unanswered | What is your response time, and what happens if you miss it? | Within one business day, plus a weekly written report while the home is vacant, or that month's management fee is credited |
| Owner payments were late or irregular | By what date is rent disbursed? | By the 10th of each month, or that month's management fee is waived |
| Charges nobody explained | Is every fee in the agreement? | If a fee is not in the management agreement, you do not pay it |
| Repairs with no proof | Will I see the invoice and photos? | The original vendor invoice in the portal; photo or video proof for every completed repair over $500 |
| A vacant home that sat | How fast is it listed once it is ready? | On every major rental platform within 5 business days, or the first month's management fee is waived |
| Nobody accountable | Who is the broker, and who owns the company? | Justin Brown, a Texas Broker, owns Perpetual Property Management |
How to read this table: the middle column works with any company in Fort Worth, Keller or North Richland Hills, so ask at least two of them the same six questions. A promise without a remedy is marketing. A promise with a remedy, written into the management agreement, is something you can hold a company to. Ours are in The Perpetual Promise, subject to its Guarantee Addendum.
How Perpetual handles this
Perpetual Property Management takes over rentals with the tenant in place, including from companies that have gone quiet. Our published sequence is the same every time. We start with your current agreement and its notice terms, and we will tell you if it makes waiting the better decision. You give notice; after that, we handle the coordination with the old company. We request the lease, security deposit, keys, tenant ledger, property records and open work orders, give the tenant new payment and maintenance instructions, complete an enrollment inspection and send your first monthly statement.
I am a Texas Broker and I own the company, so there is a named person accountable for your account. Calls and emails are answered within one business day under the Perpetual Promise, or that month's management fee is credited, subject to the Guarantee Addendum. Tenants pay through online rent collection, and your statements, documents and disbursement history are in the owner portal.
The full sequence and the fees by plan are on our switching page. If you have been emailing a company for weeks with no reply, call 682-593-7033 or tell us where things stand, and we will walk you through the switch before you sign anything.
The takeaway: Document the silence, terminate in writing under the clause that fits, sign the new company the same day with a matching start date, and send the tenant one clear letter so rent never has to guess where to go.
Questions owners ask
Can I switch property managers without waiting out the notice period?
Often yes, if the agreement allows termination for breach and the company has stopped performing. A notice period for convenience cancellation is different from termination for non-performance, and most agreements provide both. Send the notice citing the breach, document what was not done, and set an end date that gives the tenant time to switch payment. If the agreement is unclear, an attorney can read it in a few minutes.
Will I owe the old manager anything if I leave because they stopped responding?
You owe fees already earned under the agreement, such as the management fee on rent they actually collected. An early termination fee may not apply if you terminate for breach, but that depends on the wording. Ask for a final statement that itemizes every charge and compare it against the agreement. Dispute anything that is not provided for in writing.
What if the tenant keeps paying the old company after I switch?
The tenant can only be expected to pay the party they have been told in writing to pay. Make sure the notice went out, with a clear date, and that the new portal was set up before the due date. If the tenant paid the old company for a month after the cutover, that money is yours and the old company must disburse it. The new manager can help document the demand.
Should I report an unresponsive property manager to the Texas Real Estate Commission?
If money or records are withheld after a written termination, yes. The commission licenses the broker, and under Occupations Code 1101.652 it can discipline a license holder who fails to account for or remit an owner's money within a reasonable time, commingles it, or fails to surrender documents the owner requests. Poor communication alone is a reason to leave, not usually a regulatory matter. Attach your termination notice and the unanswered demands to the complaint.
Who are the best property managers to switch to if mine is unresponsive?
The best one to switch to is the one that puts its response time in writing with a remedy, lists every fee in the agreement, shows you original invoices and names its broker. Ask each candidate those questions and compare the written answers. In Fort Worth, Keller and North Richland Hills, Perpetual commits to answering calls and emails within one business day, or that month's management fee is credited, subject to our Guarantee Addendum.
What must my old property manager give back when I leave?
Your money and your records: the tenant's security deposit, your reserve, any undisbursed rent, a final owner statement, the lease and addenda, the tenant ledger, inspection reports, repair records and keys. Occupations Code 1101.652 makes failing to remit an owner's money or to surrender an owner's documents grounds for license discipline. Ask in writing, with a date.
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