Before writing this article to help you identify if you’ve got a bad property manager or not, I did a quick google search to see if it was in fact something people in our area wanted to know. Not to my surprise I found that a lot where asking about this. The top 8 questions people typed into google regarding bad property managers are these;

“I hate my property manager” That’s not even a question! I felt for them.

Now of course these searches could be from tenants or landlords – except for the last one. Yikes.

Why is it important to have a good property manager?

Because mistakes made by an unreliable rental manager WILL cost you money.

So, how do you identify if your property manager is bad?

If you answer yes to any of these following questions, it is safe to say that your property manager is not the best.

• Do you often have to chase them up for not returning your calls? – Once in a while is ok, that’s just life. But is this happening often?
• Do you suspect that routine inspections aren’t thorough, happening as often as you like, or happening at all? (believe it or not, sometimes they don’t!)
• Do you get notified of maintenance requests late and are they sorted quickly?
• Does your property sit vacant for multiple months in between tenants?
• Are your good tenants unhappy with them?
• Do you often get bad tenants?
• Are rent payments allowed to be late often?
• Are you getting less rent than other properties with the same features as yours in the local area?
• Do you only hear from them when there is a problem? – This isn’t necessarily a sign they are bad. Although in my opinion the best ones will contact you every now and then to let you know that all is good with your property, a routine inspection went well or to ask if you need help with anything in relation to the property or general advice.
• Do you get the feeling they’re often in a bad mood? – This could be an indicator that they hate their job. Which is not good for you!

If you answered yes to most or all of these questions, you need to ditch your Property Manager. Now.

If you’re still not convinced you want to take action, let me share with you the top 5 grievances made by real-life clients who have made the switch:

• Communication issues
• Routine Inspections not being completed often enough or at all – seriously. At all!
• Property is not reaching its rental potential
• Good tenants are unhappy
• Outstanding maintenance

So why take action? I’ll say it again…

Mistakes made by an unreliable rental manager WILL cost you money. That’s the bottom line. And then there’s all the additional stress that you don’t need.

You’re paying for a service that needs to be met. At the end of the day if that service is not met to your satisfaction, you need to say goodbye. Would you continue paying for bad internet service if it left you hanging every time you need to stream your favourite tv show?

Didn’t think so.

So How Do You Fire A Bad Property Manager?

Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to switch Property Managers whilst on a current lease.

For instance, with clients who come to us wanting to ditch their current manager, it’s as simple as completing a management termination form (we provide this) which we send to the bad manager on your behalf. Then it’s a quick Form 6 to appoint us as your new reliable property manager and the rest is sunshine and rainbows. True story.

If you’d like to know what to look for in finding a Good Property Manager, here’s where you’ll find your checklist.

Good luck!

Rachel Butterworth