Property managers for retail, residential and industrial properties now have greater responsibilities beyond basic rent collection and bill paying. The enormous amount of responsibility can be overwhelming, but your facility service company can and should be lending a big helping hand.
The tasks a property manager may face in their day includes research, budgeting, maintenance, marketing, and communicating and coordinating with owners, tenants and vendors.
Part I of this topic focuses on research, budgeting, and maintenance while asking the key question: How can your facility service company help?
Research
- Arrange insurance
- Provide tax information
- Ensure compliance with government regulations
How can your facility service company help?
Your facility service company should be on top of government requirements and in accordance with OSHA standards for cleaning and maintenance. When making property improvement or major repairs, your vendors should know the “codes” and take safety precautions. It goes without saying that they also should be fully licensed and insured (see: Why hire a professional, regularly scheduled general maintenance manager?).
Budgeting
- Report income and expenses
- Develop a budget for the next year
- Juggle immediate needs with long-term improvements
How can your facility service company help?
Regularly scheduled, quality maintenance can reduce long-term costs by keeping a property in good condition and reducing the need for repairs. Catching maintenance issues early on helps reduce costs too. Don’t cut corners to cut costs – the value of good service saves in the long-run.
A good provider will be honest with you about the time and cost to keep your property looking good so it will be successful. It can be tempting to go with the lowest price, but the old adage of “you get what you pay for” is a real risk. Ask a company about they client retention rate – this is a good indicator that the value of their services matches their cost. TWS maintains a strong client roster because of our unique blend of reliability and flexibility which helps property managers meet their budget and goals for a successful, well-maintained property.
Maintenance
- Design and collect renovation bids
- Schedule and track maintenance services
- Improve landscaping
- Oversee property security
- Resolve the complaints of tenants
How can your facility service company help?
Does your facility serviced company use an online work order system that verifies a service has been completed? This provides both transparency for peace of mind and efficiency that will make your day easier. Ask TWS about using our advanced technology to track and schedule services.
When there are extra services needed, your provider should make sure that you’re aware of them, so that you can handle them before they become worse. A service provider that offers the full spectrum of cleaning and maintenance services makes this so much easier; you get to deal with the same trusted people and cut time and stress.
While they do not replace actual security, maintenance and cleaning staff with a regular onsite presence can prove an effective aid to monitoring and reporting what’s happening on your property. Recently, one of our outstanding team members effectively handled a delicate situation with homeless people on a property (also read: Solutions to Homeless On Your Property). Your facility service company should be taking a proactive approach to maintaining your property in good condition, and that means more than just changing out trash liners.
Next month, we will discuss the two more major areas of responsibility a property manager faces and how the right facility service company can ease the load: 1) marketing and coordinating and 2) communicating with owners, tenants, and vendors.
In the meantime…
Does this sound like your facility service company? No? TWS Facility Services is The World Standard in Facility Services. We set the bar high and write the script on how the BEST facility service should function. A key to this is our ability to adapt to your ever-changing needs. Contact one of our team members and find out how your facility service could be improved. We’re eager to hear your concerns and provide solutions. Call (888) 883-1915