How to find a property manager in Auckland?

[QuickPickNZ]

Hey everyone,

I'm interested in finding a good property manager in Auckland, but I'm faced with 100's of choices! Does anyone have some advice on how to go about selecting a property manager? I've read all the common articles on what to look for and so on, but there are so many companies and all their sales pitches sound the same.

Is there a way to objectively compare companies?

What process did you guy's go through to find a good PM?

Thanks for the help!

[Nice]

You could check the shorter list available at IPMA.org.nz; Independant Property Managers web site. IPMA members have a full and thorough application process to ensure standards are followed, and a full and comprehensive complaints process if anything is done wrong - both parts of the process are better than most to ensure a high standard is attained ! (and yes I am a member, but not Auckland based)

[Anthonyacat]

Clients have mentioned IPMA in the past as a good resource, though not one I've used myself.

Ask a friend! Ask on the forum here for recommendations (effectively what you've done in this thread) and someone will come back to you. Word of mouth recommendations are really the only reliable way to find good people.

If your property is in the CBD, I can highly recommend Tuscancity, who manage my apartments. My other Auckland property managers recently sold their business to a new one who I've now only been with for a few months, no problems with them yet, but not happy to recommend until a longer period has passed.

[QuickPickNZ]

Hey,

Thanks for the responses so far! I did come across the IPMA before and had a look through the options, but it doesn't seem to be very exhaustive. Plus you also have the big names like Harcourts, Ray White, Crockers,.. Other than jumping on every single website there is not much comprehensive info out there?

[Nick G]

Find and go along to some investor meetups and ask around.

[PC]

What area of Auckland?
Tend to employ an independent agent who is local to the property.
Haven't had much success with real estate companies as PMs.

[PonsonbyPM]

You definitely need to choose an independent if you want good - best to go with an IPMA member. Choose one who specialises in your area & interview them. They shouldn't be offended if you ask them for client references - it is a job interview after all! Good luck. (PS - check what their costs include - the bigger companies have lots of tag on/ hidden costs!)

[QuickPickNZ]

Thanks for the advice on going with an independent agent. Is the cost the only reason to go with an independent PM? The reason I ask is that I have to admit to feeling more comfortable approaching a bigger company.

Also, I had a look at the IPMA website and it seems to me that their values are very good, but how do they enforce those values? As the only thing, I can imagine they can do is to kick out non-compliant members, but then how do they find out a member is not following the rules?

[Nick G]

Where is your property? I'll try to recommend two options. Then you only have a choice of two :-)

[QuickPickNZ]

Where is your property? I'll try to recommend two options. Then you only have a choice of two :-)

Hey Nick,

Well, I'm interested in general to get an idea of how people choose a property manager. How they start their search and what they specifically look for.

Already I see a big lean towards getting an Independent PM, but I'm still not sure why. From what I understand a Real Estate company can offer a variety of services including listing my property if I want to sell. Then I already have a relationship and don't need to go through the process again of finding an agent.
Also if I go with an independent PM and ask them which agent to go with, that person will probably advise on an agent they have a connection with, maybe even getting paid for the recommendation. Then I don't feel like I'm getting the best advice.

[Keithw]

If your intention is to sell the property then there may be some advantage in having a PM associated with a real estate agency, but in my experience RE PMs have too many distractions, such as the sales you suggest, to fully concentrate on your property.
The first question I would ask of potential PM is how many other properties do you personally look after and what is the property per person ratio. I have found RE PMs often work on over 100 each, that is not a lot of time for them to be thinking about your property, & they become just a tenant finder and rent collector.
If they are spending their time finding new tenants for their other places then as long as your place isnt causing any problem then it is unlikely to get any attention - squeeky wheel syndrome.
The bigger RE places may have a slight advantage of attracting more prospective tenants, but in the end everyone advertises on Trademe, and thats the first place tenants look, so an independant probably has just about the same chances, especially in an environment of rental shortages.

Ask the PM what their tenant checking procedure is. Both RE & Independants should have the same capability of doing credit checks, Facebook / internet searches, tenancy tribunal case lookups etc.

Next find out what maintenance skills they have personally or in house. I have found too many PMs are very quick to be spending MY money, with little accountability & little incentive for them to minimise My costs. They are quick to contract out to their favourite tradie, and i have heard stories of kickbacks from tradies to PMs.
I had one PM that thought nothing of a quote for $150 to replace a light fitting, when all it took was the glass from a $12 light fitting from Bunnings.
I have a central Auckland PM who has some basic maintenance skills who can take care of simple little jobs like light bulb changing, shower slider replacement etc, stuff that anyone with a few skills can easily do, but that many PM simply call up a tradie at $100 callout & $100 /hr.

Another important question is the safety of your rent, is it in a trust account. A few years back a Hamilton PM ripped off many of the owners by not paying their collected rent to the owners and took off with the money.
Watch the big guys here, they are quick to say the rent is in a separate account, but in fact all monies from all the properties come into a single account and there can be difficulties with separation of your funds from every other owners funds.

There are numerous other things to consider as well, I'm sure others will chime in, including, can you work with that person, sometimes personality clashes cause troubles.

[Sportsvee]

Greetings,
Friends have an upcoming opportunity they are taking advantage of, which means they will need the services of a PM. Have read through this thread but no real recommendations jump out, so instead of starting a new one I figured I'd revive this one.

Will look at the IPMA site tomorrow, but if anyone can recommend a decent PM who covers the Mt Wellington area that would be appreciated for me to pass on.

Cheers.

[FJW]

Not sure what the industry norm is up in Auckland in terms of lock in periods with their contracts but negotiate a periodic contract so you aren't locked into a period so if you aren't happy you can easy exit. Go with the one you get the best gut feeling with and if you aren't happy give them notice.

In addition, do a search of their hearings on the tenancy tribunal data base and read through the recent hearings and you'll get an idea of how credible they are.

[Sportsvee]

Cheers for that FJW.

[FJW]

Let me know who you end up going with as I always have clients asking me for recommendations on an Auckland PM so would be good to have a good one that I can refer to