One of the first things you’ll want to do with your Mesa property manager is establish some communication expectations. How often do you want to hear from your management company? What methods of communication make you feel the most comfortable? Maybe you like phone conversations or perhaps email messages work best.
Communication is too important to be left to chance. Any relationship benefits from good communication, and the relationship you have with your property manager is no different.
You should expect your management team to clearly explain their own policies to you. There should be no doubt in your mind how they will market your home, screen tenants, collect rent, and enforce your lease. Communication about maintenance is always essential, and you’ll want to know that your questions will always be answered in a timely manner.
A good property manager communicates well with you as well as your tenants and vendors. They know how to negotiate, listen, and execute their own property management plans.
Effective communication leads to a better property management experience for everyone. It can also have a direct impact on what you earn and how your property performs.
We talk to a lot of owners and investors who quickly get frustrated with the lack of communication coming from their property management partner. This is unacceptable. You should be able to count on regular and clear communication, and today we’re telling you exactly what you should expect.
Expect Active Listening From Mesa Property Managers
Listening is a critical part of communication, and a lot of people are so eager to share what they have to say that they forget to listen.
Property managers need to be good listeners, and you should expect your own management team to listen to you. They should listen to your tenants, too.
Look for signs that your property manager is listening to you. Even before you hire a management company or sign an agreement, it should be easy to see if they invest in listening. Are they responding to your unique problems? Are they offering solutions? Or, are they diving right into a sales pitch?
You should expect professionals who are focused on you, your investment goals, your rental property, and your tenants. Property managers who have too much to do or can’t seem to juggle all the homes they’re responsible for will stop listening. They’ll feel like they don’t have time.
Look for attentive listening, smart and direct questions that are related to what you need, and transparency. Meaning and substance in a relationship starts with listening.
Expect Your Mesa Property Manager To Ask Questions
It’s a good sign when your property manager has a lot of questions for you.
Expect them to be curious about your investments, your plans for the properties you own, and the unique challenges that come with the homes you’re renting out.
The more your management team can find out about your needs, interests, and problems, the easier it is to reach positive outcomes. Help your property managers serve you better by answering their questions transparently and in detail. Skip the one-word answers and the generic responses and be prepared to dig into where you are with your investment properties, what worries you the most, and where you think there’s the most potential.
Communicate About Goals and Expectations
If you have a clear vision of your investment goals, you and your property manager should be able to talk about them.
However, your property manager can’t help you achieve those goals if you aren’t willing to think about them, talk about them, and act on them. You have to take the initiative here to communicate these goals in the best way so that you and your management company are on the same page and can carry out what is necessary to complete objectives.
This will help your property manager understand your expectations. Everyone you work with will understand what they’re working towards.
Technology Can Assist Property Management Communication
With all of the technology and communication tools available to Mesa property managers in the industry today, there’s no reason that you shouldn’t have access to real-time information about your investment property and how it’s performing.
Expect your management company to invest in the best technology that’s available. This will keep your expenses down and allow you to understand how your property is being managed. It will cut down on unnecessary phone calls and messages, too.
When you’re working with a Mesa property management company, you should expect the best in property management portals and software. There should be instant access to accounting information, inspection reports, general maintenance requests and invoices whenever you need them.
Tenants should expect to pay rent online and make maintenance requests online. This helps you, as an owner, because rent is less likely to be paid late when it’s collected online. Maintenance requests are less likely to be ignored when they’re documented and in writing.
All of this contributes to better communication. And, good property managers understand when things can be automated and when conversations need to be had in person and not on the screen.
Good Communication Leads to Good Customer Service
There can be no customer service without communication.
When your calls and messages are ignored, you know you’re not getting the service you expect.
Property managers must ensure communication flows in both directions. You should expect that you don’t have to wait for a response or chase down late rent or contact vendors to find out how work is going at your property. Your security deposit questions should be answered and all of the information you need should be available to you when you have a management team that’s interested in the customer experience.
Communicating With Mesa Tenants
Tenant communication needs to be prioritized with your property managers. If they’re not open and responsive with you, they likely won’t be with your tenants, either.
When something at the property needs to be repaired or an emergency requires immediate attention, you need to know your property managers will be responsive and accessible. You need to know your tenants will be able to reach the property manager as soon as they’re needed.
Non-emergency maintenance issues also require a prompt response. A good property management company will invest in preventative maintenance and communicate with your tenants about pest control, HVAC inspections and servicing, landscaping, and other ongoing concerns.
How To Communicate Better With Your Mesa Property Managers
Working with a property manager means you won’t have to worry too much about communicating with tenants, vendors, HOA boards, and other parties who may have something to do with your rental property. The management company you choose will take care of all that for you.
Your main responsibility will be to communicate openly and honestly with your management team. You’ll need to discuss your investment goals, talk about your plans for the property, and listen to the advice you’re given about pricing, upgrades, and maintenance. Share all of your expectations early so you can be sure everyone is on the same page.
Here are some of the proactive measures you can take when you expect good communication with your management team:
- Look for opportunities to have informal conversations as well as formal communication protocols. It can make a big difference in how your property performs. The relationship you establish with your management team is important to your growth and your ROI. We’ll check in with you whenever you want - and we’ll make sure our conversations are productive and meaningful.
- Make sure your property managers have all of your correct and current contact information. This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how often owners and investors forget to update management partners with new phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses. We will be careful and protective of that information. If we need to reach you during an emergency, you aren’t going to want us scrambling to find you.
- Check in with your owner portal once in a while. This is a huge benefit for owners, especially if you’re investing from out of state. You can get the information you need in real time at any time of the day or night, no matter what time zone you’re in or where you happen to be.
- Be open and transparent, especially with your property management team. We want to feel empowered to share recommendations and advice. This is the expertise and the value you’re paying for. If you trust us to do what’s best for you and your property because of our commitment to good communication, we’ll all be better off for it.
Never settle for underwhelming communication from your Mesa property managers. If you notice that you aren’t getting the answers you need or you feel like your management team is avoiding you or not calling you back, there could be a problem that needs addressing.
Before you hire a management company, talk about what you need from them in terms of communication.
We put a high priority on communicating with our valued property management clients. When you’re looking for a Mesa property manager who cares about communicating with you and serving your properties, please contact us at TCT Property Management Services. We manage rental homes throughout the East Valley, including Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale, and Phoenix.
