Rajeev Nayyar, Managing Director of repairs reporting system Fixflo The relationship between a property manager (whether a landlord or letting agent) and a tenant can be tempestuous, especially when it comes to dealing with maintenance issues. The latest statistics from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) show complaints related to lettings rose 20% in 2013 as compared to 2012. With a 13% increase in the number of offices registered with TPO over that period there is a clear indication that parties to a tenancy are increasingly likely to end up in a dispute.
As property managers you do, of course, have a set of important legal obligations when it comes to maintenance and upkeep together with additional, contractual responsibilities depending on the nature of your tenancy agreement.
Here are some top tips for property managers to avoid falling into the classic love-hate relationship:
Information Packs
When pitching for property management work, suggest that the landlord prepares an information pack for their tenants.
By including key information on the property, appliance manuals and insurance documents you can manage the property more efficiently, tenants can get to grips with their home more easily and the landlord will be better protected if something goes wrong.
Help them and help yourself by providing your prospective client with a (branded) file with printed tabs for guidance.
If you are instructed, keep a copy of the information pack in your office and update it with copies of any new manuals for replacement appliances.
By being the hub of knowledge for the property you will be in prime position to be reinstructed when it comes to re-letting the property.
Education
Many tenants assume that everything that breaks in a property is the responsibility of their landlord. While the tenancy documentation may explain the responsibilities, clarify your expectations on or before move-in day. If you fail to do this then when something breaks, any refusal to assist could be perceived as you avoiding your responsibilities and lead to a strained relationship with the tenants.
Communication
Ensure your tenants know how they can contact you in and out of hours. We find a third of maintenance issues are reported out of hours and there is certainly an increased expectation of tenants to report any problems at any point in time, day or night.
Small issues like a slow leak can become more serious (and costly to resolve) if left unattended. It is also wise to have clear written records of what was reported and when as this will help to protect you and them in the case of a dispute.
Finally, tenants speaking a foreign language can bring additional complexity to the repairs process. With current technologies, this difficulty can be overcome if you have an appropriate process in place, highlighted to your tenant at the beginning of the tenancy. Our online reporting system is accessible in over 40 languages which means tenants from across the globe can report their problems without the fear of being misunderstood.
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