If you want to shine as a property manager, then the most important thing that needs your attention is your maintenance team. While you will be busy as a middleman between the landlord and the tenant, you will hire trade professional to solve issues at the ground level. However, hiring an inefficient team can put your job in jeopardy, and it is imperative for you to create and hire the perfect one.
We take a look at some of the things that you need to consider while hiring your property maintenance team.
Starting off with the most obvious of them all, you need to ensure that you hire only the exceptional tradesmen to complete maintenance work on behalf of the agency and vendor. People who have enough experience in the industry and are certified in their trade can even come in handy when an owner or tenants are looking for some sound advice. Additionally, you also need to remember that these people will be representing you. So it is essential that they are friendly yet professional at all times.
As a property manager, you will hear about a plethora of problems from the tenants. However, it is the most frequent ones that you need to take special care of. For instance, if most of your tenants complain about electrical issues in their homes, then it's a good idea to hire multiple electricians to inspect the property and make repairs. This will allow you to respond promptly to the most prominent of the issues.’
Apart from the tradesmen, your suppliers are also an essential part of your team. Always ensure that you maintain good communication with these people. Any misunderstandings with your suppliers can significantly delay the repair work for the tenant, and each additional moment the tenant has to deal with the issue is at your expense.
Once a trades professional fixes the problem on the property, we recommend getting in touch with the owner/tenant immediately. This will primarily help in two ways. Firstly, it will establish you as a professional property manager who wants to ensure the tenants are now facing no further problems. Secondly, you can use the opportunity to get instant feedback from them about your tradesmen. You could ask them how long did they take to fix their problem or perhaps were they friendly and professional while at the property. Using property maintenance software such as Bricks+Agent, allows tenants to leave feedback directly for their property manager and trade professional who serviced the property. This will help you in filtering out the team so that you work with the best people in the business.
These are just some of the tips that can help you refine your property maintenance team. Working with the best people in the industry is crucial. However, you do need to remember that you play an equally important role in the job. It's your responsibility to act as a middleman for the tenant and the owner and carry effective communication between the two. Your tradesmen have one job, and that is to complete the repair/maintenance work successfully. However, it is you who will have to reinforce the trust and respect with both the parties time and again.
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