Peter Lohmann's Newsletter - Issue #154

What to do if ICE contacts your business. Indeed overcharging 8x for job postings.

Author

Peter Lohmann
August 22, 2025

A no-fluff weekly publication for the property management industry.

What She Learned After Consulting For 1,200+ PM Companies

One time at a conference I was sitting next to a woman who had her laptop open, typing away in Slack. The speaker onstage happened to be quite dull (I guess we were both bored), so I was glancing around and happened to notice that she was scrolling.

But here’s what caught my eye. She wasn’t scrolling through the text window…

She was scrolling through her list of Slacks. You know, that bar on the left-hand side, where most of us have 2 or 3 Slacks we belong to? Hers had a SCROLLBAR. And it was a very long list. There had to be dozens and dozens.

I had to ask—what are all these Slacks you are part of? She told me they were companies she was working with as a consultant. This blew my away. Deb went on to tell me how during a consultation, she becomes highly involved with the PM company in question and even sometimes takes on an operational role. This went WAY beyond anything I had ever done or heard of in property management consulting. That’s why I wanted to have her on my show.

In this hour-long conversation, we explore Deb’s career journey and why she emphasizes people, process, and technology, exploring the deeper reasons behind business ownership and growth. She shares how property management companies can prepare to sell (or scale) while avoiding common structural mistakes, along with some wild stories from her consulting experiences with owners across the country. We also discuss how mindset and leadership play a crucial role in driving long-term success.

Join Deb Newell, PhD-ABD, MBA, MPM® RMP® in the newest episode of Peter Lohmann’s Podcast. Catch it on YouTube or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

By the way, we have a few podcast sponsorship slots remaining for Season 5. Get in touch.

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Pet Rent

Today I’m wondering about something really simple. I’m trying to decide if we’re charging enough for pet rent. We have a 2-pet maximum and charge a nominal 1-time pet acceptance fee, but then we also charge monthly pet rent. I’ll share the results next week.

How Much Does Your Company Charge for Pet Rent?

Please vote! Per pet per month.

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Poll results from last time: A few weeks ago I surveyed readers to find out what social media platform they used most. Here’s how you voted! Note, respondents could only select one answer due to poll limitations.

New Property Management Companies For Sale This Week

  • Here’s a property management company for sale in an East Oregon/West Idaho market (asking $452k)

  • Here is a property management company for sale in Wisconsin (asking $3.9M)

  • Here is a property management company for sale in El Cajon, CA (asking $600k)

  • Here is a property management company for sale in Brevard County, FL (price not listed, 30 condo associations)

I’ve purchased 2 property management companies on the journey to grow RL. Next time, I’ll be using Live Oak Bank’s Property Management Lending Team* to finance the deal. This will give me a huge advantage, since I won’t be reliant on the seller to help me finance the acquisition!

Interested in sponsoring this newsletter? Get in touch to partner with Peter.

Industry News & Events

  • Automating Your Leasing Pipeline: New webinar coming up with Jordan Muela, Todd Ortscheid and Julian Calvo. This should be a great one!

  • Missed my webinar on the $300 Pre-Inspection? Catch the replay here. We had around 250 live attendees for this one!

  • ICE is increasingly targeting property managers. Save this article by Monica Gilroy, Esq. about how to handle a subpoena or administrative warrant from them. Thank you NARPM for helping get the word out about this.

  • RentScale is running a rare discount right now. 25% off their packages if purchased before the month of August. They told me “That includes our hiring and training as well as our sales playbook packages. All someone needs to do is book an appt with us.”

  • I believe Indeed is scamming business owners. Read my take here.

  • On Wednesday, I posted on socials about how angry I am with Buildium for selling financial products and other services to my customers (renters) without my permission. This blew up and got dozens of comments and over 10k impressions. I’m a 12+ year customer of theirs and like their product, but this has to stop.

  • Register here for my upcoming Access Granted livestream. Can’t say anything more yet, but you won’t want to miss seeing it live…

Closing Thought

A few quick things before you go…

And finally: Crane applications re-open in just 34 days! Join the waitlist.

The content of this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. I may have consulting agreements with, or financial interests in, companies mentioned in this newsletter. Additionally, some of the links included in this newsletter are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links. Always perform your own due diligence before making any financial or business decisions. *Affiliate link.