Property managers need to make more of an effort to look after their tenants, not just their homeowners, according to director of Impression Real Estate Aaron Tunstall.
“So often we are focused on our owners that we forget the tenants,” he told a room of over 500 property managers at the recent Australasian Residential Property Management Conference (ARPM 13) in Sydney. “If you have the tenants, the owners will come.”
The New Zealand business owner shared various initiatives that his office used to attract new tenants and to stand out from other agencies. One example was a free apartment bus tour that ran every Wednesday afternoon.
“We pile a whole lot of people on there and take them around our vacant properties. It just shows that you’re being proactive in finding tenants and doing something that’s a little different," he said.
“What started as something for our tenants ended up being something that was a business development tool for the owners because the owners saw that we were being proactive in finding tenants.
“Tenants love them as it saves them time and more importantly, it saves us time.”
Mr Tunstall advised property managers to take every opportunity to provide the best customer service to their clients.
This even included in negative situations, such as when one of the agency’s tenants survived a 15-floor plunge from his apartment complex in Auckland. The agency sent flowers to the victim and informed all their tenants of the situation.
Mr Tunstall also told property managers to embrace fun in the workplace and to not be afraid of implementing change.
“It’s possible to have a culture of hard work and to enjoy yourself at the same time,” he said.
“Change can be scary, but before you jump in, ask the following: Is it good for my clients and will it allow my staff to be better property managers?”
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