Being a property manager can be hard. Your residents expect a lot out of you, and it can get rather demanding at times. There are a few things that we all wish we could tell our residents, but we haven’t quite found the right way. Here’s a list of a few:

—    You don’t just sit around waiting for a problem to arise. You do actually have other things to deal with around the property and you are not just sitting by the phone waiting for their phone call.

—    You don’t like being mean. If rent isn’t paid on time, it is more of a hassle to have to chase after residents. They you are viewed as being the mean one, when they are actually the one who broke the agreement. 

—    You don’t don’t work 24/7. You do have a family or a hobby or something else that you like to do in your spare time. 

—    You wish they didn’t delay the call for maintenance until Friday night when they get home from work and remember that the problem is going to affect their whole weekend. 

Ways To Express This To Your Residents

—    Communicate! Talk with your residents. Put up flyers. Make sure the communication goes both ways. If you let them know about important changes, chances are they will let you know important things too. 

—    Publish your hours of availability. Don’t just give everyone your cell phone number or let them assume they can contact you at all hours. But if they can’t contact you at all hours, make sure there is someone in the office that can answer calls. You won’t want to miss an important maintenance call while you are away. Something like a water leak or an electrical issue should really be dealt with right away. 

—    Make sure you know how your phone system is set up for after hours calls. Do they get forwarded to your cell phone? Do people leave a message on the office answering machine? Do you use a call center? Whatever you set up, just make sure it works for your business. 


—    Hire help or find a third-party vendor. Get someone who can handle the maintenance when you are not able. Most times it pays to have someone else you can call when things go wrong. 

If you are looking for more ways to work with your residents, we have a course for you. Sign up with us today to learn more strategies and ideas to help improve your communication between you and your residents. You’ll only wish you had done it sooner.