If you run a sizeable development with a number of units, residents and leaseholders, chances are you have utilised the skills of an estate manager to help you run day-to-day operations within your development. However, sometimes the match isn’t quite right – if your estate manager is not performing in the way you’d hoped, is overwhelmed by the scale of operations, or is receiving an abundance of complaints, it may be time to consider taking on a new estate manager. Whether you’re on the hunt for your first estate manager, or searching for an alternative to your existing one, here are Centrick’s top tips on taking on a new estate manager.
What does an Estate Manager do?
An estate manager oversees real estate property developments to ensure the smooth running of everyday living within a commercial or residential building. Their duties include, but are not limited to, carrying out inspections, budgeting, attending residents’ meetings, staff supervision and overseeing the day-to-day management of a development. They are the primary port of call for residents and leaseholders should they have any issues or feedback.
What should I look for in an Estate Manager?
Ease of transition
If you have decided to change estate manager from an existing service, it’s important to make this transition as easy as possible for tenants, leaseholders and residents. Being transparent and informative about the change is imperative to establishing trust between residents and the new estate management provider. Furthermore, there should be no gap between the change in management companies, as this could leave a period of time wherein issues go unresolved, resulting in potential resident dissatisfaction.
Ask any potential estate manager candidates what measures they can put in place to ensure a smooth transition – for example, Centrick’s Estate Management team have a set of onboarding protocols in place to make sure that leaseholders, developers and residents are kept up-to-date with the transfer of management.
Appropriate Experience
When searching for an estate manager, ask what kind of properties they have experience with. Do you think they will be able to deal with a development of your scale?
For those running a development that specialises in a certain niche such as luxury living, over 55 complexes, or student-only developments, it’s important that you source a manager that has knowledge of your specific niche. Each of the aforementioned types of development come with their own requirements and potential difficulties that a more naive, inexperienced estate manager would be less equipped to handle. For example, senior living developments may be run in conjunction with care companies that ensure the safety of potentially vulnerable residents – passing management responsibilities over to an estate management company that lacks the relevant understanding of these specific needs could be dangerous to the wellbeing of its residents.
Speaking of experience, accreditation is a good way to determine whether your chosen estate management agency is qualified to do the best possible job. Centrick are ARMA accredited, follow the RICS code of practice, and are proud to be registered members of the Property Ombudsman. This demonstrates that we don’t just have experience, but we continue to hold ourselves to exceptionally high standards.
Problem Solving
One of the primary responsibilities of an estate manager is their ability to manage the day-to-day running of your development. However, not every day will run as smoothly as the last, meaning that you will have to trust your estate manager to solve any issues that may come their way. This extends from minor maintenance issues, to more impactful disruptions to communal facilities and lifts, with some problems being potentially detrimental to the health and safety of your residents.
At Centrick, we have a dedicated team of property professionals that work 24/7 to provide solutions to any problems within the developments we manage. Our out of hours service makes residents feel comfortable knowing that help is always on hand, no matter the time of day. With many problems stemming from miscommunication, we’ve taken time to develop our myCentrick portal which is accessible to residents, leaseholders and developers. This allows for the swift and easy communication between these parties, ensuring that problems are solved quickly and with complete transparency. You can file and track issues within your development and monitor their progress, keeping communication quick, easy and transparent for all parties.
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Looking for a new Estate Manager?
If you’re searching for your next estate manager, look no further than Centrick! Our team of property professionals combine 24/7 support, easy to use digital platforms, and an experienced team of estate managers to provide you with a comprehensive service to be proud of. We take care of a variety of developments across the Midlands and beyond, and pride ourselves on our unrivalled ability to take the stress out of estate management for our clients. For more information on how Centrick can help you, get in touch with us using the form below – we’d be delighted to help!
