Guide for Property Managers | ProductiveandFree

Enhance your output as a property manager by streamlining your workflow and using time-saving hacks that help you provide better services. Property managers are integral to the success of a rental business, after all, you act as the go-between for landlords and tenants while ensuring the house remains in top-notch condition. The job often involves juggling multiple properties or issues at once, and that can be overwhelming if you don’t have a system for multitasking. Imagine trying to handle a tenant dispute, oversee an electrician, and organize paperwork for tax season at the same time. So we’ve put together the ultimate property manager’s guide for creating focus and boosting productivity.

Ways to Set Priorities | ProductiveandFree

Practical Ways to Set Priorities as a Property Manager

Assess your Workload

Start by evaluating the tasks you want to complete. Before diving into your tasks, try to take stock of everything that requires your attention. For example, sending reminders that rent is due is important because it ensures a stable cash flow. If the rental has maintenance concerns such as a broken HVAC system in the middle of summer, resolving it should be the top priority. In the long term, postponing your reminders may not affect rent collection, but a bad AC during a heat wave could lead to disgruntled tenants terminating their lease and leading to more vacancies.

Daily Planning

Maximize your productivity by making a daily task list. It may sound cliche but you’ll accomplish a lot more if you have a to-do list that outlines your priorities for the day and helps you stay on track. Aside from that, it also allows owners to break larger goals into smaller actionable steps. Still, it’s crucial to keep it flexible so you can have time to tackle emergencies when they crop up. Bay Property Management Group Fairfax is an experienced property management team that knows the ins and outs of this industry and can easily jump into action when necessary.

Be Flexible

Leave a little room for the unexpected since property management is a job that constantly requires you to put out fires, and if you’re not on your toes it can get overwhelming fast. Aside from using a daily planner to stay on track, you also need to have emergency contacts that help you when issues appear suddenly. For example, a tenant could call to report that a pipe has sprung a leak or the water heater is broken, and such scenarios could take precedence over whatever else you’ve planned for the day.

How Should Property Managers Prioritize Urgent Requests from Landlords and Tenants?

Prioritize Urgent Requests | ProductiveandFree

Assess the Request

Start by understanding what the request entails. As a rule of thumb, anything that affects the property’s safety should be a top priority. For example, dead batteries in your smoke alarms, broken stair railings, or blocked fire escapes can put tenants in dangerous situations, so you need to bump them up to the top of your to-do list. Requests with potential legal implications should also take priority, especially if they involve tenant satisfaction, so you might have to multi-task. This is why property management can be a great career choice for individuals with high organizational skills.

Evaluate the Impact on the Property

Consider how attending to or delaying a request could impact the property in your care. Let’s compare two scenarios of a vacation rental for context. If tenant A suggests planting some new floors in the yard, you may consider this request a valuable one but it may not be a priority because ignoring it wouldn’t lead to any financial loss. On the other hand, if tenant B complains about the HVAC system being faulty, not working on it could cause the renter to check out and for every day it isn’t fixed, the property loses money. It would be best to prioritize repairs or upgrades that affect the property’s profitability in the short term.

Communicate Effectively

Acknowledge any request you get from a tenant or landlord. Not only is it important to be proactive in resolving issues, but you also have to carry the concerned parties along. After all, what’s the point of working tirelessly to solve a problem if the person who complained thinks you’re doing nothing? Property managers need to ensure they provide sufficient updates about the situation and communicate a plan and timeline for resolution when necessary.

Conclusion

Property management services can be improved by setting your priorities straight. This can help boost your productivity since you know which tasks are important. If tenants need urgent attention, it’s important to be flexible to enhance your performance as a property manager while making the most of your time of the day. Using a daily planner can also keep you on the right track and make it easier to break large tasks into bit-sizes, with enough room to accommodate emergencies.

If it’s something that requires immediate attention, keep the right parties in the loop on what you plan to do and when so everyone is on the same page. Whether the request is from either the landlord or tenant, it’s important to keep in mind that even small things can make an impact on the rental property.