Is your PM proactive in updating you?

I have a PM for my IP in Brisbane. The house settled a few weeks ago and so it hasn't been very long, however I feel like my PM takes too long to respond to emails if they're responded to at all.

He/She is generally quite hard to get hold of during the day and usually I'm told he/she'll get back to me, which ends up being at the end of business hours. With emails they're generally not responded to of late, and if he/she does respond to them then it's usually after 2 to 3 days.

I think he/she is generally proactive and on the ball, but my impression is that he/she's taking on too much load and unable to deligate/handle the load hence the late responses.

For example one thing I feel is a bit urgent is to get roof repair quotes as there may be there a leak and if so would need to be patched up quickly. Also afaik the tenants have moved in but again I haven't had confirmation on this and the exact date that they moved in on. There are a few other things on the property that need to be checked and Afaik have been checked but have not received confirmation on.

Am I expecting too much or is this the norm? I'm paying a pretty high % (8.25%).

 

I feel all PM's should be responding to emails and calls within 24 hours at the absolute latest. Unless of course it's a weekend, public holiday or they have an out of office set to inform clients of leave/training sessions etc.

You should be told the same day that tenants have moved in and have a copy of the lease the day it's signed (or at least within a day or two depending on the day it's signed).

The % I think is pretty standard for Brisbane, but the service is certainly not there IMO.

 

If you're not impressed already get someone else asap. A good active pm that keeps you in the loop saves lots of headaches

 

Our PM's have always been very contactable - by phone or email (generally reply to emails within a couple of hours). Currently going through our first VCAT experience and they have been very proactive in everything from insurance to finding a cleaner. Some landlords are happy with the more hands off approach, others like to be kept in the loop as much as possible - up to you what you are comfortable with. If you aren't happy I would change ASAP.

 

Unacceptable IMHO. Roof repairs are genuine issues that need to be attended to asap. That sounds like a lot of lack of clarity. Your expectations are normal.

Have you raised these concers?

 

I agree you need to have answers quickly and a property manager should be available by phone any time.
The question is, have the roof repairs been actioned - has a quote request been sent out to trades people and she is waiting to get back to you with fuller details or has nothing been done at all?

 

Mine has been very slow lately, not sure what happened

 

Thanks all for your opinions and advice.

I was a little worried that perhaps I was over-expecting but it seems they're pretty reasonable. I know I do have the option of switching PMs but I'd like to give mine another chance and so I'll be outlining my expectations from here on out.

Thank you all for responding!

 

One of mine refused to talk to me now....lol.

 

Unfortunately; having dealt with PM's - as an LL - since 2001 - and now as a tenant trying to get in contact with the PM that looks after the place we are currently renting;

generally; the communication service is shall we say; needing improvement.

My suspicion is that most r/e agency businesses are trying to run a bigger and bigger rent roll for income stream, and run it with less and less staff.

My current PM for our unit in Kalgoorlie is ok though; compared to a couple of previous ones we've had over there.

They do inspections every 3 months, and email the report - but of course; I'm paying for these inspections - it's an extra on top of the "management fee."

So; we'll manage your property for you for $X, but if you want us to actually do anything; it is extra.

What a joke.

The whole industry needs a damn good shake-up imo.

 

It disgusts and frustrates me greatly

 

I usually expect within 48 hours. I know they are busy. But so far it feels like I'm the only one chasing in 2016. No response after 3 emails, always almost never available on call. If anyone has alternative PM in Brisbane, let me know please...

 

We were actually sacked by ours because our expectations were too high.

One of these expectations was that vacating tenants should replace blown light bulbs and a broken light fitting that they admitted they broke. They attempted to replace it with a cheap item but the glass lamp shade/fitting didn't fit the housing, so they left us a useless lamp shade/fitting. The PM said this was a satisfactory attempt at rectification.

 

Light globes are a landlord expense.

Also if the light fitting case had been bought to the tribunal you may find that the tenants do not need to replace it with exactly the same item. When you say did not fit, do you mean style or size?

Landlord compensation would have been better in this instance - give you some money towards purchasing another one.

 

Xenia thanks for your reply. The tenants attempted to replace only the glass bowl which was the wrong size and didn't fit the existing housing (attached to the ceiling), rather than simply replace the whole light. Our PM's advice was that a claim for some compensation to replace the light wouldn't succeed as a tribunal would say they tried.

 

@kitdoctor - which state are you in? There's different rules in each state regarding the light globes themselves.

As for the shade/fitting, your PM is probably correct in hindsight. However, they should have prevented this situation by seeking the compensation prior to them doing it. That way they could have sought either the correct replacement or some monetary value either from them directly or from their bond and wouldn't be in this situation to begin with.

 

I think there is a chance it could be successful because they did not replace it. If it was wrong size then there was no attempt.
Also there is the tribunal fee to consider so if that is the only thing you are claiming it may or may not be worth it depending on value.

You said the agent sacked you, you could still give it a go yourself or ask another agent to take over.

Do you know if they released the bond?

 

Their loss Mini2
They will be losing a good client for simple things that could have been prevented with some communication.

 

I bloody wish they want to part ways to be honest except no, they rather have us hanging around. At most they're making $60/month out of us so I'm struggling to understand why they wouldn't let us leave.

Even funnier, I haven't come across a single agency principal who's not interested in speaking to an irate client except this joint. I guess different price point comes with a different set of expectations.

 

You're nice. I think 48 hours is excessive. It's now 12pm and I have 2 emails in my inbox (one is an invoice to enter), all the rest from 5pm last night until now have been replied to, as well as all my phone calls.

I will now spend the next few hours doing lease renewals, updating ads, invoicing, planning inspections, and chasing up any maintenance - basically stuff that my clients don't know I'm doing. I also have 4 condition reports to do by the end of the week.

Yes, I have less properties that most PM's - but even when I was running a full portfolio there was no excuse for not replying within 24 hours on a business day. We're all busy, but you PM needs to learn to block out times in their calendar to get **** done like emails and phone calls.