Job Description
A day in the life of a property manager......
Getting keys ready for contractors to collect: -
Even with our snazzy software, keys are the bane of an agent's life...., they vanish into thin air & often no amount of jiggling, sliding, pushing, praying will unlock the door that your colleague swears he opened just the day before).
Managing our lovely crew of contractors: -
So that they attend the right property at the right time to keep our tenant's homes & the landlord's property in tip top condition....
TOP TIP - contractors are your new BFF, we need them & they are our heroes without capes, but be warned you will love them & hate them simultaneously, some are like a greyhound after a rabbit when it comes to paperwork & response time, others will ghost you overnight , like a bad date on Tinder. Either way, we smile & move on, because you just never know when they will race in to save the day on a cold Friday afternoon when a boiler breaks down!
Responding to maintenance reports from our tenants: -
Now we don't expect you to shimmy up a drain pipe & replace that loose roof tile, or sling your arm down a toilet to remove a blockage, but if you have a little common sense, a little bit of household property knowledge, maybe you've been a tenant, maybe a home owner, maybe a DIY enthusiast.... that would be great, because it's useful if as a trainee you already know the difference between an electric socket and a radiator. This makes our job & yours, a whole lot easier.
Coffee time:-
Coffee & biscuits are the nectar of life when you are a property manager. But whether it's a builders brew, oat milk latte, dandelion & tumeric tea, or milk from a soft haired blue mountain goat.... you will soon learn that moments of sanity come from a cup (and possibly on a Friday cheeky afterwork visit to our local The Ring of Bells Taunton
from a glass).
Coffee is always accompanied by cake from The Wickets Coffee and Sandwich Bar or biscuits, (or both)! Except on Monday's because someone (usually the boss) is claiming to be on a health kick & arrives armed with almonds, water & rice cakes. Fear not, she has the will power of a gnat & at best this lasts until Tuesday.
Email maddness or management as it is professionally known): - You will be an email ninja, because despite claiming to be a people business & loving to talk, we send & receive LOTS of emails.
TOP TIP - learn to do as the boss says & pick up the phone to call rather than email, it's quicker, easier & makes the day go fast. Plus you get to enjoy some brilliant banter with our contractor crew.
Forensic investigation skills: - think of yourself as the next CSI investigator, because you will need outstanding questioning skills to get to the bottom of whatever maintenance challenge, billing issue or naughty tenant behaviour is being questioned by our landlords.
TOP TIP - they are our client, they pay our wages & without them, we simply wouldn't have a business. We also have a 'nice landlord's only policy' here & for the most part, they truly are. But, remember, we are spending their money, which isn't always popular, so we need to give them answers, advice & guidance PROMPTLY at all times.
Diplomacy, patience & compassion: - imagine being seated at a UN security council meeting, you're trying to keep the peace, but also navigate your way through some turbulent waters, negotiating demands and agreeing settlements.
Managing a tenancy is very similar, our tenants pay rent to live in the landlord's property, the local rental market isn't exactly cheap & so it's easy to understand how sometimes they get frustrated if that repair to the garden fencing, (which is eerily wobbling in the wind), is taking a little longer than usual, whilst you seek a third quote to get the best price for the landlord. Sometimes apparently tenants can do naughty things ...and apparently sometimes, landlord's do too- obviously not ours - see the note above, but we're heard this does happen!.
They sign a contract saying they will or won't do something & then seem to forget this legally binding agreement ever existed, leaving the landlord blowing fire from their nostrils & you unfortunately caught in the middle. So with your very best efforts, to nudge, encourage, coax, negotiate & if all else fails, threaten or involve the full force of the legislation, your job is to get things back on track. Leaving the tenant's happy in their home & the landlord continuing to be a happy client reaping a return on their hard earned investment.
TOP TIP - we also have a nifty, MI5 like system for vetting (interrogating) & finding only truly lovely, decent people to join our tenant family and truly for the most part, they are all genuinely lovely.
More coffee/ tea/ cake / biscuits with a little bit of light hearted office banter thrown in for good measure.
Super powers: -
This is where the magic really happens! We have the power to really make a difference to people, keeping them safe in their home, helping in tough times, celebrating the happy ones. Helping Landlord's generate passive income to fund retirement, kids through college or even a new life abroad.
New baby? Congratulations, let's find you a bigger home. Relationship break up? Sad but true, we help all parties navigate their way on or out of their rental home.
No heating? No problem! Not only are our contractor crew, super fast at fixing things, we have emergency heaters, kettles, hobs etc all to hand so we can keep our tenants cosy until they do.
Landlord selling up? Scary uncertain times for the tenant & the landlord might not be able to afford for the property to be empty, so your job is to hand hold everyone through this process, until the new owner moves in or takes over & hopefully retains us as their new agent.
It's a joyous aspect of our job & we feel privileged every day as we are able to be part of our landlord & tenant's life journeys.
Juggling skills: -
We get a real buzz from this! Your day is fast paced, often with many plates spinning at once, you need to prioritise, plan & have the agility of a squirrel being chased up a tree when things change. But don't worry, we love a bit of tech, so we have super systems, routines & processes to help & there's always an old skool notepad lying around somewhere.
Communication skills:-
If we could glue the phone to your ear, we would! Talking on the phone, person to person, face to face, even virtually is the best & fastest way to build trust & long term relationships. If you're the shy, quiet retiring type who would prefer to work from home, quietly tapping away on a keyboard, sadly this is not the job for you. REPEAT AFTER ME “this is a people business.”
Dog stroking:-
So we have an office dog, she's soft, fluffy, always hungry & is determined to one day, get herself onto your lap nuzzling her wet nose onto your key board whilst you work. We try not to allow this! You need to like dogs, she's a permanent fixture & in charge of meeting & greeting all visitors with a cheeky wag & a soft lick.
Computer skills:-
We live & die by our CRM system& software - don't worry you don't need to be the next Steve Jobs, but you do need to know how to use email, create word documents, upload pdfs & documents, type fast, be accurate & think quick.
Laser like focus on attention to detail:-
Did the tenant just say 'we' when it's just meant to be them living alone?
Did you hear a dog barking in the background of a non pet household?
Did the contractor bill state plus VAT or inc VAT?
Did the landlord say they were going to pop over with a spanner to take a look at the boiler, (that big combustible object in the corner of the kitchen)?
Was that wall magnolia, almond white or really pink, before the tenant moved in?
You won't miss a trick & everything, absolutely EVERYTHING needs to be logged on our CRM.
Property visits: -
Having your own car is a definite must as you'll be regularly popping out to visit our tenant's homes, keeping a watchful eye on who's living in the property, are they cleaning the shower or cutting the grass & is anything likely to fall down anytime soon, meaning that we need to tell the landlord to spend some money. In reality, it's a lovely chance to see our totally fab tenant family in their own homes, cuddle small children, play with puppies, catch up on their news as well as check out their insta worthy interior home decor style. (We love doing these! Although, be warned, you will likely be offered more cake, biscuits, tea, coffee!).
Genius brain power: -
Whether you have some experience or none, our clients pay us to be property experts & our tenants need us to have all the skills, knowledge & expertise to keep them & their families safe, so you will need to learn LOTS of new things, as well as take exams to gain an industry recognized qualfication that's yours to keep & treasure for ever.
We'll even give you a little gold statue, big balloon & a certificate to remind you of those hours of blood, sweat & tears, mastering the finer detail of the Landlord and Tenant Act.
The team that plays together, stays together.... we're a little team, we work hard, so it's nice to get out & have some fun & new experiences away from it all, whether it's a breakfast, lunch or dinner, a game of bowling, bike ride, day at the cricket, paddle boarding with Snappy SUP’s or a trip to London....
So there it is, the cold hard truth, if you still fancy this then do get in touch, you don't have to do it for the fun, biscuits or even dog stroking opportunities, we actually have a range of benefits dependent upon service, experience and pay you too!
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £21,500.00-£25,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Canteen
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Gym membership
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Paid volunteer time
- Private dental insurance
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
- No weekends
Supplemental pay types:
- Bonus scheme
- Performance bonus
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Taunton: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- Property Management: 1 year (preferred)
- Administrative: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence and own car (required)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 31/07/2023
Expected start date: 07/08/2023
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