One of the most important skills you can cultivate in property management is that of organization. Property management requires handling residents, managing finances, overseeing maintenance, and performing other tasks that often rely on communication with others.

This is why it's important for successful property management to ensure documenting those communications with others.

Archival & Safety Purposes

There are two primary reasons why documenting communications is so important. The first, of course, is for archival or record keeping purposes. Ensuring that you have communications preserved with everything from HVAC inspectors to groundskeeping services means you have an accurate accounting not just of the numbers involved in transactions, but also of the details.

Just as importantly, however, is the "safety" issue, particularly in the area of financial liability. Whenever you have a communication with a resident, particularly a verbal-only one, it's always a good idea to follow up with an email that preserves the details and creates a paper trail that can be referred back to. For example, a verbal request is made for a repair, and you send an email confirming the request, including salient details like the date, which the resident agrees to in the email. Later, if the resident forgets the date and insists that it is on another date, you can refer back to the preserved email communication that has their reply and consent.

In many cases, a preserved paper trail of communications can often act as the final arbiter if there's a dispute or objection about details. There may even be some instances where the mere existence of such preserved communication can quickly head off any escalations, such as legal actions that may dispute the details. Having communications down in writing can often be of enormous benefit.

If you want to make the most of your residential investment and want to work with a reliable property management service provider, contact Occupancy Solutions and let us help.