Why are residential PM's so incredibly lazy?

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

Phone a commercial PM, tell them what I want and almost always get straight answers. Call a residential PM and the majority are incredibly lazy and don't care or know diddly squat about what they are renting. This seems like a pretty cruisy job.

Can a property owner tell me what they think they are paying for?

I've always been highly motivated to deliver the goods (incl good customer service) for clients and I genuinely don't understand how in such a seemingly competitive industry, there could be so much of this attitude going on.

[BigDreamer]

In Rotorua I called 6 different rental agencies (Professional, First National, Eves, Harcourts, Pam Jones, and Rotorua Rentals) earlier this month and left a message with each about needing casual letting for one of my properties. All but two got back to me (Harcourts & Rotorua Rentals) and despite calling the other four again the following week and leaving another message on either their voicemail or receptionist, no one called me back!

Makes me wonder if they really are keen to do any work or if they just don't care because of the word "casual letting". I have to admit, I appreciate Rotorua Rentals as they gave me a call within an hour of leaving voicemail just to tell me they don't do casual letting - still, I appreciated the call back!

[Sharon]

Have experienced the same in other areas with the larger firms. If people cant get back with clear answers within a reasonable time frame for new business its an indication of how they operate. Avoid them like the plague.
Fortunately, and as I've mentioned in another recent thread NZ does have some very good owner operated PMs - Hunt them out using local networks and when you find a great one do let us know!

[Bob Kane]

They quickly work out that you'd be a difficult client and try to put you off.

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

They quickly work out that you'd be a difficult client and try to put you off.

Thinking of my own industry - I have seen many complaints of 'difficult client'-itis expressed in industry discussion forums and it is my personal observation that 50%+ of these are simply a narrow minded suppliers misreading the situation and/or looking for excuses.

The truth is - a lot of clients are difficult by someones version of events or under the right circumstances. And herein lies commercial opportunity some others don't see, which of course suits me fine. Just in the last few days I have picked up a nicely paying job that others in this part of the country were simply too lazy to get off their ass for. I had a meeting, followed it up, made it clear I wanted the job (and the ongoing business from this company) and take it from there. I am no salesman either. Ditto on several other occasions I've picked up work others weren't motivated enough to get.

In this vein there is one category of person I have a rule to avoid. This is the one who tries to rope me into picking up the pieces of the last f*** up, to enable them to stay with the same crowd. I don't fall for that one anymore.

Work is my service to society and if I ever get to the point where I don't want to get up in the morning I will find a new career.

Money is good but I'd quickly grow bored if that was my sole motivation.

[speights boy]

Many comments to this report.

READER REPORT:

Bad renters? What about bad property managers?

You might have seen a TV show called Renters, highlighting the worst of the worst renters in New Zealand all throughout the country. It probably makes a lot of people feel pretty good about their lifestyle and the state of their house.

However, what about the property managers that are really bad?

www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/share-your-news-and-views/10763418/Bad-renters-What-about-bad-property-managers

[Glenn]

What a load of rubbish. Since when are commercial property managers so wonderful. I have vacant spaces to let. There is a difference between commercial property managers and commercial agents. Agents let and managers do not. I have supplied keys and photos to my agent friends and they have not even bothered to enter the property to look for themselves nor take any pictures for themselves. I am on good terms with these agents that is just the way it is. As for the managers. Well I have more than one commercial property managed in multiple cities. Again very different from the story you portray.

As for getting residential agents to do a casual letting. The most we can get out of a casual letting is one weeks rent. Most properties I let cost me around $600 to $800. I doubt it is any different elsewhere. Why do owners want casual letting and not long term management. It is because somehow they know those figures. Perhaps not in precise dollar terms but they know that the hardest and most riskiest period of a tenancy is finding the right tenant and getting everything in place. Part of the key to a successful tenancy with a wide spectrum of tenants is for the landlord / property manager to impress on the tenant the relationship. Pop a third party into the equation and you suddenly increase the odds of failure many times.

[speights boy]

Call for property manager regulation

REINZ chief executive Helen O’Sullivan said her organisation supported more regulation of property managers, and said it should be done by the Real Estate Agents Authority.

“Our point of view is that there is an issue there. Landlords can choose their property managers but tenants can’t. Because it’s a totally unregulated sector, no qualifications are needed to be a property manager.”
Managers did not need to meet any competency requirements or even have a police check, she said, despite holding keys to their tenants’ homes.

“Strangely enough, while you could lose your license to sell real estate for stealing a residential property management client’s money, you would remain qualified to run a property management business.
Someone not licensed as a real estate agent who did the same thing is not subject to the REAA and is therefore beyond the reach of that regime, and consumers must seek redress via civil penalties through the courts, or criminal penalties via a police complaint.”
Not enough people understood the new law, O’Sullivan said.

“Residential property management is totally unregulated and I don’t think a lot of consumers are aware of that. We get consumers ringing up to complain.”

Managers should be required to keep client money in a trust account and undertake formal training, she said.

[BigDreamer]

Hi Glenn - thanks for sharing your insight on this. I don't doubt that casual letting is not ideal. I suppose all I needed was a response to say that they don't do casual letting but when I call the receptionist and they confirm that they do casual letting yet I never hear back from a property manager gets frustrating. I really do appreciate Rotorua Rentals for at least giving me a call back to let me know this.

In regards to the actual thread about commercials vs residential PMs - I don't have any experience in commercial PMs so I can't comment.

[PTILoveYou]

They quickly work out that you'd be a difficult client and try to put you off.

Right to the point =)

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

Right to the point =)

It is my observation one of the biggest differentiating factors between Real Estate agents who are good and successful and those who are not is their ability to listen and understand what clients want.

My industry is one with a constant stream of customer complaints and employees/contractors gossiping on internet forums about clients. It is surprising how long some of them last but eventually (especially so during tight times) they are the same ones who are complaining they can't get work...

[Perry]

Although not specific to property managers, my recent experiences have helped
confirm that either there is no recession to speak of; or many NZ businesses
give no service to speak of.

I have been trying to buy (and have installed) an awning on a building, since
1 August. I have found the responses to my inquiries to be very varied, with
most at the poor to non-existent end of the scale. Approximate cost: $4k

Last week, I drove to a building to buy a quantity of zip-lok bags, only to find
that the company had moved. Muttering to myself, I drove on past. Then I did
a quick u-turn and drove back. The building now contained a business that did
seem to be shade sails, awning and canvas suppliers.

It was morning break time, so I sat and talked with the staff, saying they should
have their break and I would wait until then, chatting about this and that. I left
after giving them some contact details.

* A salesman called that same afternoon to measure, ascertain colours and style;
* I had a quote e-mailed to me from him, the next morning;
* An amended quote came the next day, after some questions from me;
* After receiving an 8 December installation date, I paid the deposit the following Monday.

Some people want the work and will provide the service to get it; some don't.

Residential property management must be similarly challenging to the hospitality industry,
but with more obnoxious legislation to comply with. We are fortunate to have independent
(and very competent and skilled) PMs giving unstintingly of themselves, on these Forums,
the advice of whom has benefited many forumites.

Long may it continue and a plague be upon the offices of the negligible service opposition. edit

[artemis]

Earlier this year, our property maintenance company was asked to look at and price a job. We did, the only response from the 12 who were approached. Got the work, and some follow up work, several thousand dollars worth.

Yet I see on the Builderscrack site that jobs posted in our general field usually have several people or firms registering interest, and willing to pay a percentage of the price to the site.

ETA - we are mid priced, usually not the cheapest (we charge and pay GST and pay income tax, just sayin').

[Maccachic]

Responses seem to be lacking across all industry's - sometimes I wonder if emails are even checked.

[artemis]

Also, just to mention we often hire subbies. They get crossed off the list after one stuff up, but we'd cut them some slack depending on their attitude and how they sort the issue. We have a good bunch of tradies now, but it took a while.