Property management companies lighten the load for landlords by handling various operations and emergencies. Their staff might handle different responsibilities or use outside contractors for specific projects.
A good property manager is skilled at providing customer service. This helps increase tenant retention and improves vendor performance. They also know how to set appropriate rent rates based on local market knowledge.
Customer Service
Property owners want to work with a company that understands the importance of customer service. Whether it’s answering questions from residents or addressing tenant concerns, being friendly and helpful is critical. Keeping up with various tasks, including tracking rent payments, conducting inspections, reviewing tenancy applications, and responding to inquiries, can become overwhelming for a property owner.
Choosing a property management company Denver with 24-hour customer support and an online tenant portal can ease the pressure. Aside from being professional, customer service also requires patience. While working within general service guidelines, a patient approach can help defuse tense situations and ensure that each tenant is fully satisfied. This quality can also be a framework for other essential qualities, such as flexibility and empathy.
Expertise
In property management, expertise involves a combination of hard and soft skills. Hard skills include communication, organization, and essential building maintenance. Soft skills include problem-solving, negotiation, and customer service. Property managers are responsible for many tasks simultaneously. They are tasked with responding to tenant and owner communications while handling contracts, leases, and other formal paperwork.
They also need to understand real estate trends and landlord/tenant legislation. Property managers must be able to handle unexpected situations, like when a contractor fails to show up, or a tenant falls behind in rent payments. They must also be able to interpret financial reports and quickly make essential business decisions for their owners or investors. They must also be able to make recommendations for property upgrades based on their experience.
Communication
Whether it’s communicating with owners, residents, or maintenance partners, communicating effectively is critical. Quickly responding to inquiries, complaints, or problems can keep things running smoothly. A property management company must communicate effectively with potential renters and tenants, showing off their marketing skills by posting photos of properties online that showcase space and highlight desirable features.
They should also be able to communicate building policies and procedures with new occupants. Good property managers are also skilled in renting out vacant units, utilizing various rental marketing platforms, property tours, and pre-screening applicants while remaining Fair Housing compliant. Ideally, they’ll also be skilled in collecting rent and other income, such as key or lock replacement fees, finder’s fees for bringing in new residents, and maintenance bill mark-ups.
Flexibility
The property management industry is highly competitive, and many firms offer various services. Look for a company that can meet your unique needs with a customizable service package. Choosing a firm with flexible services can also save you money. Some companies may charge a flat monthly fee for managing a single property, while others charge based on the number of units managed.
Flexibility is a valuable quality for a property management company, especially when handling tenant issues and other problems that can arise at any time. If a problem pops up, the property manager should be able to handle it without breaking the bank by hiring outside contractors for repairs.
Accountability
Property management is a balancing act. A high-performing property manager knows how to be patient – but they also know when to be aggressive. Whether tracking down late rent payments or holding contractors accountable, accountability is an essential property management trait. A good property management company will keep owners informed about what’s going on at their properties with frequent updates.
Depending on how involved you want to be in day-to-day property management, this can vary from basic maintenance reports to monthly rent collection status updates. Property managers must know everything they can about their local rental market, laws and regulations affecting property ownership and management, and standard operating procedures for all their properties.
This helps them ensure that they’re meeting all of their obligations and that they can quickly respond to any changes in the law.