7 property management tasks to do before the holidays

Article by Silvia Liu Marketing Specialist 22 November 2020

Pack for holiday, check. Put mail on hold, check. Pay bills, check. Create out-of-office email…uh-oh.

When you’re busy preparing for the holiday season, even the simplest of tasks can slip your mind. So to help you avoid the above scenario, we’ve come up with seven property management tasks you need to do before the holidays.

1. Notify everyone of your office holiday period

Prior to leaving for your holiday, be sure to notify your owners, tenants and suppliers of your office holiday period. There are a few ways you can do this:

• Send a dedicated Season’s Greetings email that communicates this
• Post about it on social media
• Update your Google My Business listing hours
• Update your website

This helps keep everyone in the loop and is crucial to managing tenant and owner expectations during the holiday period.

If you’re a PropertyMe subscriber, here’s how to prepare for the holiday season and how to set up auto-replies for emails.

2. Make sure tenants and owners can get in touch with you

While you might be soaking up some sun at your local beach, your tenant might be panicking about a burst water pipe, insect invasion or a man with a white beard trying to climb down their chimney. In any case, they may need to contact you, urgently.

Here’s where your out-of-office email comes into play. You should include the period that you’re on holidays and the best person to contact in your absence. Your secondary contact should be equipped with the skills and knowledge required to handle any issues tenants or owners might have while you’re on holidays.

Just to be safe, be sure to leave your mobile number as well but specify that it is for emergencies only. If you’re struggling to write your out-of-office email, here are some professional examples and some hilarious alternatives.

3. Ensure there’s a way to pay your owners and suppliers

If you’re going to be on holidays during mid-month or end of month, ensure there’s a way to pay your owners and suppliers. You can arrange for someone to do it for you or you can do it yourself if you have access to your cloud property management software while you’re away. If neither of those options are feasible, you can always pay owners and suppliers before your office holiday period.

4. Send a home security checklist to your tenants

Did you know that burglaries rise during the lead up to Christmas? The holidays are a time of giving, meaning homes are filled with expensive toys, gadgets and jewellery, making it prime time for burglars.

That’s why it’s imperative to send a home security checklist to your tenants prior to the holiday period so they can take preemptive security measures such as holding the mail and installing remote monitoring before the holidays.

Here are five things your owners and tenants should do to protect their property before the holidays. This will not only help your tenants protect their belongings, but will also help you protect the rental!

5. Engage with tenants and owners

As a property manager, your livelihood is built on trust and communication. That’s why you should engage your clients and the local community in the lead up to the holiday season. You can plan a virtual event, host a socially-distanced outdoor gathering, run a competition or simply express gratitude with a holiday email, greeting card or small gift.

This will position yourself as a reputable property manager and will help deepen your relationship with existing clients and help you establish rapport with prospective clients.

6. Schedule social media in advance

If you’re responsible for your company social media accounts or have been trying to grow your own social media following, you can use tools such as Hootsuite, Later and Buffer to schedule your social media posts in advance.

This ensures that you’re still consistently reaching your target audience and driving engagement and brand awareness during the holiday period, without a noticeable gap in your posting schedule.

You can also set up automated responses for Facebook Messenger, automated comment replies for Facebook and quick replies for Instagram direct messages. However, it would be preferable to have a team member manage social media comments and direct messages while you’re away to provide a personalised experience.

7. Plan ahead to set yourself up for success

Imagine coming back to work after the holidays to a messy desk and 50 overdue tasks…

That’s why it’s always a good idea to take a step back, assess what can be done now and plan ahead. Ask yourself — what has been on the backburner of your to-do list? How can you set yourself up for success upon your return?

This might mean getting ahead on property management tasks such as inspection planning, preventative maintenance, updating message templates, digitising paperwork and tidying the accounts. It could also mean decluttering your physical and digital workspace to reduce distractions, mental overload and stress when you return to the office.

All in all…

Here are seven property management tasks to do before the holidays:

1. Notify everyone of your office holiday period
2. Make sure tenants and owners can get in touch with you
3. Ensure there’s a way to pay your owners and suppliers
4. Send a home security checklist to your tenants
5. Engage with tenants and owners
6. Schedule social media in advance
7. Plan ahead to set yourself up for success

Thanks for reading this blog on property management tasks to do before the holidays! You might also be interested in:

• 5 easy ways to engage tenants and owners this Christmas
• 12 ways to attract quality tenants
• Top 6 benefits of cloud property management software

Let us know your thoughts on 7 property management tasks to do before the holidays by emailing [email protected].