When searching for a new tenant, it’s tough to know if you’ve found the right fit. It’s no different when it comes to finding a good property manager. Like a tenant, the property manager you choose will be entrusted with caring for and maintaining your property investment. From searching and screening potential tenants to actual maintenance of the property, you need to know from the word go that they can be relied upon. So what should you be looking for when you’re ready to hand over the keys to your proverbial kingdom?
Experience Counts
There’s nothing wrong with giving people a chance to prove themselves, but when it comes to property management, experience is a must. Entrusting someone who’s got the years behind them will give you peace of mind. If you want to know how suitable they’ll be for the job, treat your meetings as interviews. Delve into their professional past with a list of questions to help you decide.
How Good Are Their Communication Skills?
Property management is a guest-facing industry first. That means that the only way they see success is by how well they deal with their clients — homeowners, tenants, repairmen. Their communication skills have to be top-notch, and you should have no qualms about their approachability. Whether it’s your concerns or the concerns of your tenant, they should be prompt at responding with clear answers. This is doubly important if disputes and issues arise. Your property manager should know how to diffuse and resolve disputes in a quick, efficient manner.
They Say Patience Is a Virtue
Managing a property, let alone multiple properties, is stressful work. How does your potential property manager handle that? Dealing with late repairs, complaints, late-paying tenants — all this requires an air of patience and grace. Like anything, even with the best preparation and organization, things can go awry. During the interview process, be sure they have strong listening skills to accompany their communication skills. How well they listen to you, your needs, and what you’re looking for will show how capable they are at customer service. And trust us, they need to be good at customer service.
Keep it Professional
They don’t call this a job for nothing so how professional are they with you? At the end of the day, we’re dealing with people’s homes, both as your property as well as someone who’s made it their home. These are sensitive subjects, are they dismissive or do they take these subjects seriously? Treating others with respect, dressing for success, and keeping it professional are all signs of a great property manager.
At Pemberton Holmes, our property managers hit all the right notes. We balance friendliness with professionalism and have years of experience under our belt. When you work with us, we bring our exceptional organizational skills and superior service to the day-to-day running of your property. Contact us today for any of your residential, commercial or strata management needs.