Working from home tips for Property Managers

Article by Monika Malolepszy Marketing Specialist 27 July 2021

Remote work has become the new normal for thousands of people in nearly every industry, and Property Management is no exception.

The benefits of working from home as a Property Manager

In some cases, Property Managers are actually able to be more productive by working from home. It takes some getting used to, but buckle up because remote work is likely here to stay. That’s certainly not a bad thing. Take a look at the following benefits of working remotely.

• Did you know working remotely can increase your productivity? Remote workers are more efficient because there are fewer social distractions and you can easily take breaks. Studies have shown that working from home can boost productivity by about 25%, as well as bolstering creativity and productivity. 
• We won’t lie. The effort involved in staying connected when working remotely is considerable. On the other hand, remote working is not as detrimental to internal communication as you might expect. Working remotely can actually improve communications since it’s such a necessity. What’s more, organizing files using software and tech tools allows you to work more efficiently with others.
• When you work from home, you can avoid stressful commutes, dress as you like, and work from wherever you feel the most comfortable. With all these beneficial factors in play, you’re much more likely to experience improved morale and increased job satisfaction.
• Remote work can save you money! Despite additional costs associated with remote operations, you can still save in the long run. Without a physical office, rent, taxes, utilities, and commuting expenses, you’re likely to reap the financial benefits of at-home work.

Top tips when working from home

Working from home can be very beneficial, but it’s also a big adjustment to make. If you don’t manage remote work properly, it can harm productivity, time management, communication, and your home life. Here, we will talk about some useful tips that Property Managers can use when working remotely. 

Utilise tech to keep renters in the loop

Maintaining open lines of communication with your renters is a key part of a Property Managers’ role. While working remotely, staying connected to your clients will make your life much easier in the long run. Maintaining reliable communication means you keep your best tenants for the long term and address issues before they get out of hand.

Staying connected is super simple while you’re away if you use cloud-based software. By setting up the right system, you’ll be able to keep tenants informed of any changes and easily send out updates. Providing tenants with a Tenant Access Portal where they can easily contact you is also a great idea. A Tenant Access Portal allows tenants to easily access a wide range of information regarding their tenancy without having to contact you. Keep your tenants in the loop with 24/7 access to their property information. including property and lease information, bill due dates, maintenance request updates, and rent receipts. This gives you more time to focus on more pressing matters.

Stay connected with your team

Working with a team can be one of the best parts of your job as a Property Manager. One thing is for sure: you can’t effectively manage a remote team without engaging your employees and maintaining their support. You might find your team is more efficient as a result of working from home, which is a good thing. To maximize remote work benefits, it’s a great idea to use tech tools designed to keep your team connected and productive. A few great options we love include:

• Trello: perfect for managing projects between team members
• Google Suite: access documents from anywhere
• Slack: easily stay in touch with your team
• DocuSign: securely sign documents online

Check out our full list of 46 work-from-home tech tools here.

Be flexible

Right now, work situations are a bit up in the air and uncertain for a lot of people. Such uncertainty requires flexibility from Property Managers, both for their teams, but also for their tenants. By anticipating that there will likely be changes to people’s work schedules and circumstances, Property Managers can be more prepared when changes do arise.

Maintain balance 

Fortunately, the benefits of working from home tend to far outweigh the disadvantages. However, working remotely could be an issue if you take it too far. When work is at home with you, it can be tough to shut your laptop or not respond to messages during the hours you have set aside for yourself and your family. This can also be true for your team, and increased productivity plus at-home work can quickly and easily lead to burnout. This is why maintaining balance and ensuring they do the same is so important. 

Remote work is the future. In fact, it’s proven to be so beneficial and advantageous that it’s likely many workers won’t ever return to an in-person environment. But even though working from home is awesome, it can also have downsides if it’s not managed correctly. Ensure that you take the time and necessary steps to allow yourself and your team to adjust sufficiently to remote work.