"I am a board member, but often I feel like a Property Manager." Angel Reiner, President of Onyx Condo Management, recently heard this during an RFP discussion with a condominium board of directors.
It's a common theme in the property management world, and there are many reasons for this.
Management Overload: There is no hard and fast answer to the question, "How many properties do your PMs manage?" It depends on the manager and the community. A 20-unit townhome community can take more time than an 80-unit high-rise. That said, management companies must find balance. PMs are often overloaded and overwhelmed; it's usually related to protecting the management companies' margins, adding on too many properties to a PM, which results in directors having to follow up or take on some of the workload.
Instead of asking how many properties a manager can handle, the real question should be, "What steps will you take if our assigned property manager feels overwhelmed?"
Low Tech Slump: When a PM doesn't have technology at their fingertips, it takes twice as long, if not more, to complete tasks. Software needs to be intuitive; building systems should be accessed remotely; board members should have real-time updates to service requests, and who has time to sign paper cheques, digital all day!
Radio Silence from Leadership: The leadership team should check in consistently. It's easy for a PM to say that things are going great, and maybe to them, things are great, though do the board members feel the same? Not checking in can result in board members deciding to handle things independently, which is often not a good sign.
Quiet Quitting: Some careers can sometimes feel thankless; property management is one of them. Employees know that if they quit, they lose severance, so rather than that, they start dropping balls here and there; board members take note, take on work, and ultimately leads to dismissal.
Babbling Board Members: 32 emails on the colour of the new soffits? We love passion, but ongoing babbling discussions during meetings, back-and-forth emails, can slow down a PM's productivity. A great way to get a hold of this is to have independent discussion emails without property management and come to them with a list of questions or your decision, and they can take action.
Onyx is committed to ensuring that our Board Members complete as little or as much as they would like to and that it is THEIR choice, not because it is necessary.
Reach out to us to learn more or email angel@onyxcm.ca