Property Management Virtual Assistant
Property Management Virtual Assistant
In the property management business, a property manager’s success coincides with efficiency with which the portfolio of properties is managed. Property managers are expected to manage/handle a multitude of activities/tasks. As a result, one specific thought which always comes up is “there’s too much to prioritize”. Too much to prioritize can make it hard to manage conflicting priorities.
With the advent of technology, property owners and tenants are increasingly connected & involved. Hence, they expect the property managers to quickly address any concerns or come up with solutions within minutes.
A quick fix solution is to hire local staff. However, the cost of hiring local staff is usually high. In addition to the cost advantage, outsourcing tasks to property management virtual assistant(s) ensures you are able to tap into the experienced talent pool from countries like India.
Wondering how can a property management virtual assistant help your business or are you confused about what is the job of a property management virtual assistant ? The list is exhaustive –
Help With Contractor Bids
When it comes to maintenance work, there is always a fine line between managing cost v/s quality. It is especially true when the property manager/management company is not using fixed vendors. A property management virtual assistant can assist with the following time-consuming tasks -
a. Finding the right contractors.
b. Collecting quotations.
c. Sharing a consolidated comparison tracker for approval.
d. Placing orders and tracking them to completion.
For larger property management companies who have established processes for maintenance, the virtual assistant can assist by -
a. Guiding the tenants to log maintenance requests.
b. Providing status updates to the tenants when they call in.
c. Call or provide an update via email or SMS.
d. For urgent maintenance issues, follow-up with the vendors.
e. Schedule vendor appointments and follow-up with property managers for approvals.
Manage Phone Calls & Emails
While a property manager is attending meetings, a property management virtual assistant can handle the following tasks -
a. answer his/her calls.
b.respond to the emails.
c. Send a reminder to the property manager in case any email/call needs his/her attention.
For property management companies, a customer support virtual assistant(s) can manage the following tasks -
a. Provide updates to the tenants when they call the customer care number.
b. Answer any questions from potential tenants calling in you to enquire about properties. This includes information like -
- information about the sign-up process.
- application fee.
- credit check & its requirements.
- documents required.
- any special conditions added by the property owners.
Update CRM & Test It
The virtual assistant can play an important role in ensuring the data in the CRM is kept to update. This ensures the property manager is aware of the latest updates. It also results in accurate information being provided to the tenants or to individuals who call in for inquiries.
Testing a new CRM or testing changes being implemented to the existing CRM is a time-consuming process, as one has to spend time on long calls & providing test reports. A virtual assistant can take over this task so that the property managers are more focused on managing their portfolio.
Plan & Schedule Internal Inspections
A property management virtual assistant can ensure the following tasks are managed -
a. Schedule the inspections.
b. Follow-up with tenants to ensure that the inspection date and time is confirmed.
c. Send reminders to the tenants closer to the inspection date.
d. Plan them to ensure the inspector is able to cover more properties during each visit
Leasing Management
As we’ve mentioned, a property manager has to manage a multitude of tasks/activities. Here is the list of other important tasks related to leasing management that a remote virtual assistant can manage -
Reference Checks
a. Before the landlord listed by the prospective tenant is called for reference check, check online to confirm if the landlord as listed exists.
b. Complete tenant’s verification of employment.
Tenant Management
a. Help prepare the lease agreements and make changes as necessary.
b. Ensure a move-in and move-out checklist is sent to the tenants.
c. Keep the tenant’s files up-to-date.
d. Ensure the property manager is aware of any special requests from tenants(rent increase, lease tenure, non renewal etc.)
Rent & Lease Management
a.Send rent reminder notices.
b.Follow-up with the tenants for regular payments.
c.Send out lease renewal reminders.
d. Preparing and sending the renewal lease and following up with tenants to ensure that the lease is signed in time and shared with owners.
e. Make adjustments to existing leases (add or remove tenants/pets)
Landlord Relationship Management
a. Prepare a monthly property report card which can be shared with the property owners.
b. Send documentation to landlords for reimbursements.
Other Admin Tasks
a. Provide insights on boosting the property’s appeal.
b. Keep track of warranty of the appliances at the property.
c. Ensure property listings are kept up-to-date on the right websites.
d. Keep an eye on your online reviews.
Utility Management
Managing essential utility services for the property is a challenging task. Especially if the tenants are not very regular. Wondering how can a virtual assistant help in the utility management tasks? Here is the list of tasks that a property management virtual assistant can manage -
Set up processes
a. Help establish the process for setting up utility services or disconnecting them.
b. Write standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Connecting/Disconnecting Utilities
a. Submit a new service request in the new tenant’s name.
b. Follow-up with the utility service providers and ensure service set up is completed in the new tenant’s name.
c. Submit disconnection requests for taking off services from the previous tenant’s name.
d. Follow-up with utility service providers and ensure services are disconnected/removed from the previous tenant’s name.
e. If tenants need to ensure switch over of utilities, then follow-up with them to ensure the disconnection/connection of services is completed within the stipulated time.
Utility Bill Payments
a. Enter the bill amounts in the CRM which makes it easy to track usage & payments.
b. If the tenants are responsible for utility bill payments, follow-up with the tenants to ensure payments are completed within the due dates.
Now that’s an exhaustive list of tasks/activities that a property management virtual assistant can help a property manager/management company. Do you need a virtual assistant services company who can help you prepare a mutually rewarding plan to outsource tasks to in-house property management virtual assistants or a virtual assistant team? Contact us