Property Management - The Operation Of Commercial And Residential Real Estate

By Helen Cox

Property Management exists for the same reasons that management exists in any business; to run it smoothly and effectively to get results. The role between the landlord and the tenant is the most important but due to mounting responsibilities this role can often become to much for a landlord to cope with, which is why extra help is important; this extra help comes in the form of a property manager.

The help of a property management team would mean that duty's such as collecting rent, responding to and addressing maintenance issues and advertising vacancies for landlords as well as performing credit and background checks on tenants would be taken away from landlords. This will allow the landlords to get on with other jobs, making their work a lot easier.

For all of the duty's performed a landlord will pay a percentage of the rent collected every month, this percentage is typically between three and ten. This percentage will pay for duties such as all of the ones named above as well as work such as the construction, development, repair and maintenance on a property.

This provides a face for the landlord. It should also be noted that the real estate market is very competitive, which is why gaining help is important. A property management team allows you to keep your real estate in good condition in order to keep tenants in your real estate and as a way of gaining more.

As a landlord you need a management company that offers a effective, cost effective service throughout the UK. This is because the team can take away daily hassle and let you enjoy your investment.

Many people often argue the point of why not just use a letting agent for your maintenance needs? To put it simply a letting agent is good for finding your next tenant but doesn't help you with on going management needs where as with real estate team at your disposal you will be able to provide the level of care and help that is needed for your tenants needs. You wont have to go out of your way to hire a building contractor when a tenants pipe bursts or their roof leaks as you will have a building contractor team ready to help.

As well as your actually team it is also a good idea to invest in management software. This software aids the help of the team as it allows them to keep a record of aspects such as property details (room sizes, property condition, home furnishings, fire safety, etc). It also allows you to store images of all rooms and aspects of the property as well as utility details i.e. gas and electricity.

You can also set up a payment schedule, which allows you to track the payments of rent and any other services that you provide. It can also be used to store tenant's details and the lease details.

If you are a landlord it is highly advised that you enlist the help of a property management team to help you look after your property and to provide a help service to your tenants.

Helen is the web master of ARCH Property Management, specialists in all aspects of Property Management [http://www.archpropertymanagement.co.uk/article/1/1/propertyinvestment:beingagoodmanager.html].

Please feel free to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our site

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Principles of Effective Property Management

By Lori Burger

Effective property management requires a close working relationship between tenants, investors, and managers. This enhances the ability to satisfy each party's needs while improving NOI (Net Operating Income), ROI (Return On Investment), and the property itself. Industry expertise and knowledge in property management cannot be replaced, but there are some basic principles that underlie all good property management solutions:

• Effective, responsive and customized service.
• Strength, generated from team effort and training.
• Creativity and understanding of management principles.
• Goals to enhance the value and esthetics of a property.
• Constant reevaluation of procedures to ensure superior levels of quality.

To get a bit more specific, there are two major branches of property management - logistical and physical. A key factor in the logistics of property management is financial reporting. Financial reporting must be timely and accurate to be effective. Regular and comprehensive reporting (typically in a monthly fashion) establishes continuity and reduces the number of lines of communication, thus maximizing time and minimizing confusion. Such reports should always adhere to GAAP (General Accepted Accounting Principles), though employing a higher set of standards for quality assurance is frequently advisable.

Specific reports, such as cash to budget variances, cash flow and income statements, balance sheets, and complete transactional accounting registers, are fundamental and essential to the property management process. Specialized reporting, such as HOA Architectural and Compliance Logs, Affordable HAP Vouchers, Tax Credit Project Status Reports, Periodic Commercial CAM Reconciliation, and Resident Violation Notices, can make the difference between a good project and a great project.

In addition to financial reporting, up-to-date property management software is an important part of logistics. It enables customized reporting for each type of property managed. Investing in infrastructure is critical to managing a diverse portfolio. The more quickly a property management system can identify problems and produce solutions, the more successful a project can be. Further logistical involvement is necessary in developing bid specifications, securing competitive bids, and coordinating with contractors, vendors and suppliers.

Beyond the logistical or back-end component of successful property management is the physical component. Preserving, maintaining, protecting and enhancing the physical and financial aspects of real estate holdings is of paramount importance. Without corresponding efforts in logistical and physical property management, neither can achieve complete success. This includes emergency management as well as regular visitations and inspections of the property. Comprehensive inspections deliver far-reaching results, and should include lobbies, stairwells, landscaping, recreation facilities, walks and driveways, parking lots, and other physical aspects of the real estate.

Maintenance and on-site management training programs should be conducted regularly. Safety inspections for compliance with loss prevention and OSHA requirements must also be performed. Additionally, the managers need to assemble regularly to discuss market trends, ongoing training, contractor service quality, and current regulatory issues. Following these procedures and refining system effectiveness and cooperation is the surest way to optimize management in the 21st century.

Ms. Burger serves as Senior Vice President of Eugene Burger Management Corporation (EBMC) and has managed a full-spectrum of real estate including common interest developments, multifamily residential including both conventional and subsidized housing, commercial, medical, single-family home and mini-storage. One of Ms. Burger's greatest attributes is holding the fundamental knowledge of the management practices in all real estate management disciplines.

Since 1979, Ms. Burger has focused her skills primarily on EBMC's common interest developments. Ms. Burger has lead the way on "full-envelope" reconstruction projects of aging community association communities, she has orchestrated numerous successful multi-million dollar renovation projects. For more, visit

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