LOOKING TO DEVELOP relationships you can rely upon with a team of agent-focused property industry contractors? We present a select group of experts who have built their respective businesses around the timely, courteous and professional delivery of specialist services – many of whom are ex-property managers themselves.
IT CAN BE TOUGH out there for a property manager. At any one time, there are multiple demands upon your attention: a would-be tenant calling to see how their application has fared, a tradie wondering how to best access a property for maintenance, rental arrears to chase up, potential landlords to prospect and trust accounts to balance. And that’s just on a Monday morning. Oh yes, complexity is par for the course when you’re in property management, with the industry’s best PMs tirelessly looking for new ways to streamline their systems and increase their productivity.
Maxed-out portfolios and full ‘ideal weeks’ can leave little room for improvisation in a PM’s diary, an issue which is further compounded by ongoing in-depth negotiations between landlords and tenants over maintenance and sometimes frustrating discussions with subcontractors. Productive relationships with reliable subcontractors can make a property manager’s life (and workload) substantially easier – with checks and balances in place to ensure quality of delivery and accountability.
DOES THE PROPERTY NEED A CLEAN?
Debbie Holland, CEO of Cleaning Support Services, has personal experience of property management needs. “Having been in the ‘trenches’ as a PM myself, I know the stressors that can really tip landlords, tenants and managers over the edge. That’s how Cleaning Support Services came to be – a response to a lack of service and reliability in the property subcontractor category,” she explains. “We’ve all been in a crisis situation with a high net worth client – a landlord with multiple properties under management, one of which has been left in an appalling state. The landlord is naturally furious, demanding multiple quotes to address each issue – each to be executed ASAP. This kind of event can overturn a full week of work – chewing up time and taking up mental space with the worry of losing the landlord’s other properties.”
Dire though it seems, Cleaning Support Services can turn such a high-stakes situation around within 24 hours with a complete solution (including cleaning, gardening, maintenance and more) that guarantees superior service delivered in a timely and cost-effective fashion. “We work with a select array of real estate-focused contractors – who (after having undergone a stringent qualification and screening process) deliver high-quality services to streamline any property manager’s ‘disaster’ maintenance list.”
Debbie has managed to achieve a streamlined solution for PMs using her ‘Way Easy’ system, which minimises the use of water and toxic chemicals – a true point of service difference for your landlord and tenants. Not only will your clients’ wallets breathe a sigh of relief – the environment will thank you, too.
For more information contact Cleaning Support Services – cleaningsupport.com.au.
CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR TENANT’S ACCESS TO THE BASICS ON MOVE-IN-DAY?
Mike Gibbons, Managing Director of eMove, helps property managers assist their new tenants with a simple gas and electricity connection solution, ensuring their home is warm and bright from the moment they arrive. As any experienced property manager knows, an unpowered property will not only begin a tenant-property manager relationship on a sour note; it may also result in inappropriate billing of the current or former tenant, resulting in further time on the phone amending the issue accurately with utility providers.
eMove reliably provides for speedy utility connection, paired with heavily discounted energy bills, offering your tenant the comfort they deserve whilst giving you peace of mind. There’s something in it for PMs too, as participating property managers and real estate agencies benefit from eMove commissions and other incentives for using their service. eMove also prides itself on thoroughly following up with tenants, removing the additional worry (and phone calls!) that property managers face when tenants are not contacted within the agreed time frame.
For more information contact eMove – emove.com.au.
WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR OCCUPANCY RATES?
Develop a relationship with a trusted removalist. James Russell of City Move knows just how important the relationship between a property manager and a removalist can be – allowing for emergency moves and taking into consideration individual body corporate rules. “Always ensure that any removalist business you recommend to clients is accredited by AFRA. This industry accreditation body ensures all its members have their insurances and police checks in order – a feat nigh on impossible for busy property managers to triple-check each time.” Should there be any quality issues with the removalists you recommend, AFRA-accredited businesses are liable to lose their hefty security bonds; another removalist quality-check mechanism to help streamline your day. As with all business decisions, City Move recommends shopping around before settling on a key removalist referral partner. Look beyond the top five national removalists to other businesses who appear to provide the same level of service while charging considerably less.
For more information contact City Move – citymove.com.au.
HAVE A PROPERTY THAT IS PROVING DIFFICULT TO LEASE OR SELL BECAUSE OF PRESENTATION ISSUES?
Clutter can be a real barrier to new tenant or buyer appeal. Maximise your client’s chance of a swift leasing or sales result by offering temporary storage to address presentation issues – another service City Move suggests you have in your ‘removalist solutions’ arsenal. Makala Ffrench Castelli, Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager at National Storage, offers her advice on the topic of decluttering: “Many real estate agents and property managers recommend decluttering prior to marketing a property for sale or rent to show the property in its best light. Removing excess furniture and packing away personal items creates space and allows the focus to shift to the property, rather than the current tenant’s personality.” Surprisingly cost-effective, customers are often surprised at how little room is required for their belongings in storage; what would normally clutter a double garage can fit into a quarter of the space when properly stored.
With over 80 National Storage centres offering tailored storage solutions and services to over 30,000 customers across Australia, Makala recommends searching for local storage partners who offer secure premises and professional management. The National Storage website is also a great resource, with online tools and tips for packing, storing and taking the stress out of moving for your clients.
For more information contact National Storage – nationalstorage.com.au.
DO YOU HAVE A CARPET DILEMMA IN A PROPERTY UNDER YOUR CARE?
Daniel Brunes, CEO of Carpet Cleaning Kings, knows all about rejuvenating carpets under hair-raising conditions and time constraints. “We work with individual landlords and body corporates, having recently helped restore a seven-storey apartment building which was completely flooded due to blocked plumbing! That’s a lot of wet carpet to dry – yet dry it we did.” Having an experienced carpet cleaner on call who can offer complex bacterial chemical treatments (paired with knowledge of the relevant legislation in this area) certainly comes in handy if you’re a property manager. Do you have ‘last minute’ requests some contractors simply won’t accommodate? Carpet Cleaning Kings understand urgent requests and take all steps to accommodate their clients; being supported by a large labour force of carpet-cleaning experts, their response time is second to none. “Fine-tuning our services with systems and processes means that we are available and suitably prepared to handle the most complex carpet-related work orders – in fact, we guarantee it,” says Daniel.
For more information Carpet Cleaning Kings – carpetcleaningkings.com.au.
All participating businesses mentioned here would like to offer readers of Elite Property Manager a special for making contact and creating local partnerships. When reaching out, please mention this article. We look forward to hearing from you.
