One of my favourite things about property management is how quickly we can get work done other people have to wait for. Yes, that's right. We don't have to wait for a plumber or electrician, we call, and almost before we hang up the phone, the job's done.
Why is this the case? There are a number of reasons, and some are simple for you to do too.
1. We make it easy for them to access the property. We have a clear protocol of how they are to contact the tenants to make it simple and easy for the trades person, and what to do if the tenant can't meet them. There is no mucking around waiting until some vague future date where the stars align and it might be convenient for them, the landlord, and the tenant.
2. We give them a lot of work. Only a fool would bite the hand that feeds them, and we feed the good ones a lot. Not an option for the average property investor. If you are wondering why you are waiting on a tradie, odds are they're working on one of our properties. Sorry.
3. We don't waste their time with pointless quoting. If the job needs doing, it gets done. Why waste a trades persons precious time getting them to submit quotes to save $5 on a $300 job? If you have tradespeople you trust, and you show them respect, you will save yourself money by the speed and efficiency with which they work.
4. We don't second guess them. Don't get me wrong, if I know more than the tradie, they don't do the job. Hire people who are skilled at what they do and are empowered to give you the best solution. Micromanage them at your peril - that's how jobs go very very bad. Stick to what you know best and let them do what they do best.
5. We pay tradies promptly. The longest any trades person has to wait for payment is a fortnight for us - it's our company policy. Our average is just 3 days. Others take more than 25 days to pay. That's a long time for tradies to cover their wages and materials. If you were a trades person, would you rather work for someone who will pay you this week, or next month?
So, no surprise we get the best tradespeople in record time to sort out problems at your property. Because we choose the best, we are sometimes surprised with the solutions they come up with - often better and more cost effective than we could have requested. Perfect.
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