Repairs and maintenance to rental propertys are one of the most common issues that cause legal disputes between landlords and tenants. As the mediator, property managers need to know and educate both tenants and landlords on whose responsibility it is to fix repairs and maintenance issues.

Routine inspections are a big part of a property manager’s day to day job. Along with the millions of other tasks they’re expected to complete, it can be tempting sometimes to rush inspections and assume everything is fine. No doubt this can often lead to some serious problems down the line, especially if tenants are hiding/performing questionable or illegal substances or behaviour. You can never be too careful when it comes to routine inspections. At Inspection Manager we compiled a list below of red flags or warning signs as a property manager to look out for when completing a routine inspection.

Staying connected with your tenants and building a trusting relationship is key to having better tenants, maintaining well-kept rental properties and being updated with any issues/problems on a rental property right away. Kelly, a Property Manager from LJ Hooker says “The best way to maintain well-kept rental properties with minimal issues is to form more trusting and better relationships with your tenants. Staying connected with check-in messages or calls to tenants is one step closer to a more transparent relationship.”

Routine inspections allow you to identify and address any maintenance or repair issues. This gives landlords peace of mind, knowing their valued rental properties are being maintained and carefully managed. The details recorded at routine inspections are also used as evidence in disputes between landlords and tenants. Therefore, in order to serve their purpose, routine inspections should to be done thoroughly and competently. At the same time, routine inspections don’t have to be a difficult process.

Property managers, do you feel like your work is always following you wherever you go? Even when you’re not physically taking your work home with you, it’s always on your mind 24/7. Work-life balance is a common struggle for property managers and a lack of boundaries often leads to burnout.

Copying, filing, searching, retrieving, refiling, sending, mailing and faxing… on average a property manager spends 20% of their time on paperwork. If you’re tired of doing things the hard way, you’re not alone. Many property management agencies have converted to/created a paperless office and have never looked back since. While the change may seem intimidating at first, here are some compelling reasons why your agency should create a paperless office today.

Being a Property Manager is hard work – you’re always juggling a dozen different tasks on a hectic schedule. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in day-to-day commitments that you forget to focus on the bigger picture -where your career or business is heading. Attending a conference is the perfect way to receive some much-needed inspiration and motivation. There’s no better way to stay informed and network with experts in the property management industry.

What helps improve your property management skills? According to industry experts, it’s about avoiding a few common pitfalls. If these are overlooked, they may escalate into major problems, and can cause serious damage to your performance and wellbeing.

Property owners and managers shouldn't turn away good tenants just because they have one or two pets. According to a recent article by Chad Gardland, about 70 percent of tenants who live in rental apartments own pets, with majority of those owning a cat or dog. Unfortunately, many pet owners admitted that it can be quite difficult to find apartments that are pet friendly. About two-thirds of urban pet owners had difficulties finding a rental property where pets are allowed. By excluding pets from their rental properties, landlords and managers also exclude an important percentage of compatible tenants. This is a limiting approach because if done right, making rental properties pet friendly can attract great tenants. In fact, according to Psychology Today’s report, people who own pets are happier, have more stability, and are more likely to rent a property long-term. So, this could be beneficial for property managers, as this may attract high quality applicants. However, be prepared to deal with the risks that are associated with pets such as property damage, complaints, and maintenance.

Whether you’re a seasoned property manager with an impressive portfolio or a beginner, you want to grow your rent roll and increase your monthly rental income. Right? The good news! Fortunately, there are countless rent roll growth strategies scattered over the web. But the question is what actually works? Which strategies help deliver real results effectively in a hassle-free manner? This article shares several time-tested rent roll growth strategies that really work.

When Spring is approaching, property managers focus on seasonal property maintenance inspections. Inspections consist of monitoring and tracking assets that don’t usually require much attention in Winter like gutters, pools, gardens, and lawns. Managers will check assets that function all year round like filters, HVAC units, and generators, in order to avoid failures. To property owners and landlords, functionality is essential for preserving their home's integrity and keeping tenants happy. To track maintenance related tasks and costs, property owners and managers can implement a maintenance management system. Having a running log on all adjustments and issues handled is important, so many property managers will use a property maintenance software. To help you prepare for Summer, make sure you take these 7 tips into account during the next Spring maintenance check:

Technological advancements in property management software offer solutions to many problems most property management professionals struggle with every day. Performing tasks like tracking payments, seeking approvals and managing maintenance costs and trades manually takes up a lot of time. However, there’s a solution - having property maintenance software!

Did you know that your bathroom holds many germs? Cleaning it isn't a fun task and you might end up making many blunders during the whole activity. While it's important to keep a bathroom clean, many people assume this and end up getting infections and other related diseases. You can maintain your bathroom and enjoy your shower by avoiding the following mistakes.

Trying to find a renter to fill a property is hard enough. As a property manager there are many elements that need to come together in order to be able to find the right type of tenants to a property. To sell a product to it's prospective renter, it's essential to write an engaging property listing to ensure success in engaging the right people and satisfying your clients requirements. Writing a property listing seems pretty straight forward right? The Bricks+Agent guide to writing a property listing will help you market any property to the right audience.

Investing in properties is one of the best investments you can make in life. But like any other investment, it is essential to do your research before investing your hard earned money. It is a common misconception that property investment always offers you good returns. You need to consider many factors while investing in a real estate. Here are 5 tips to reduce stress while buying your first investment property.

While you're busy working on your craft, you still need to have consistent work and the ability to run your business successfully. Sure, you might have your own systems in place, but there's an easier and more effective solution to help you manage your teams, customers and jobs so you can start seeing results and growth in your business. Here's 4 reasons why the Bricks + Agent onboarding experience for service providers is the best in driving success.

Mandatory maintenance is something that defines the property management industry today. However, things like whether the property’s portfolio is well-maintained or not is something that is questionable. The reason why most real estate agencies are planning to, or already have streamlined their maintenance processes, is ultimately to imrprove their clients' overall satisfaction with their business. Although maintenance is quite beneficial and important for rental properties, it can keep your staff bogged down and start to affect your business, if managed ineffectively. How will you deal with property maintenance tasks? Thanks to the simplified property maintenance system developed by our team at Bricks+Agent, maintenance and repairs at rental properties are a breeze to complete. Here’s how it will help:

If you're a property manager then its likely you're managing more than one property for your clients. Both the tenant and the owner are extremely important and communication is a key factor for success. Here are tips that can help property managers communicate better with the tenant and the owner.

Finding a great landlord is not an easy task as you need to consider plenty of things while looking for a new landlord. The experts at Bricks+Agent have put together their top 5 tips for a landlord search that’ll help you discover honest and nice landlords that you can depend on.

Preventive maintenance is essential for property managers who want to avoid spending a lot of money on repairs and creating discomfort for their tenants.

People tend to only consider home maintenance only when something goes really wrong, rather than preventing it. To keep everyone safe and minimise the amount of service days, here’s the home maintenance checklist to keep you on top of things:

Buying a new home can be an exciting idea. Before starting your search for homes on the market, you must consider and keep the following factors in mind.

Being a property agent isn’t an easy job. There are a multitude of tasks that you are responsible for. It is only natural for you to overlook a few things. Unfortunately, more often than not, it is trust accounting. Here are 5 common trust accounting mistakes that property agents often make.

Being a property agent isn’t an easy job. There are a multitude of tasks that you are responsible for. It is only natural for you to overlook a few things. Unfortunately, more often than not, it is trust accounting. Here are 5 common trust accounting mistakes that property agents often make.

Remote Inspections is a feature many Property Managers and Tenants will be enjoying moving forward, as more digital interactions become the new normal in this post COVID-19 world.

Being a property agent isn’t an easy job. There are a multitude of tasks that you are responsible for. It is only natural for you to overlook a few things. Unfortunately, more often than not, it is trust accounting. Here are 5 common trust accounting mistakes that property agents often make.

Ideas and trends that are shaping your business are likely to be disrupted by new and advancing trends in technology and old strategies may not work as well anymore. If you want to stop your business from becoming another statistic, try using these hacks for future-proofing your business.

Making the decision to sell your investment property needs a lot of consideration.Sometimes the costs of selling can far outweigh paying a property manager

There’s 250,000 service providers with a registered trade business, but the rate of service providers adopting smart technology to run their business continues to lag.

Smart and cloud-based property maintenance software like Bricks+Agent can help property managers streamline their business tasks and improve relationships with less hassle.

If you are selling or buying property you should consider hiring a conveyancer or a settlement agent to help you with the legal aspects of the transaction.

The playground of property management has shifted drastically in favour of having online businesses. Capitalising on potential of the internet and having a strong web presence is about more than tweaking your website. How can you improve your online presence? Here are our top tips:

Signing a lease is one of the most critical parts of renting a home. There are many things that tenants need to consider before signing a contract for any property. If you are looking to find a property to rent, the following tips will serve as your best guide before signing a lease.

Do you have multiple properties that need renting? You might need the help of a property manager, but before diving straight into an agreement with one there are multiple factors you should consider.

Property investors play a critical role in your business and its important to maintain strong relationships with them. Here are 6 things that you can do to keep your investors happy.