As the sirens steam by with the wild
weather battering much of the east coast, many property managers may be already
fielding distraught emergency phone calls. And if not, they are mentally
preparing for the possible onslaught of calls, messages and emails with damage,
emergencies and concerns.
This can be a difficult time for even the
most experienced of us, not to mention those who are dealing with a natural
disaster for the first time. If your office has an emergency/disaster procedure,
it’s time to implement.
Otherwise, here are some some tips to help
you deal with the next few days:
·
Get yourself organised
o
Consider how to best utilise
your trust accounts software, CRMs, social media and e-marketing platforms to
communicate with your clients of emergency details and updates.
o
Update your voicemail to
provide information and instructions on lodging repair requests.
o
Utilise your email out of
office/auto reply to give your client instructions and expectations on response
times and updates.
o
Consider postponing any non
urgent tasks such as scheduled routines, meetings and repairs that are not
necessary at this time. People are usually fine with delays as long as you communicated
with them.
·
Check your legislation
o
Different states have different
legislation on responsibilities during disasters, what is deemed uninhabitable
(when a lease is effectively terminated) and where landlord obligations lie in
regards to re-housing, rental compensation etc. Evacuate properties only where
necessary. For
information on NSW legislation, click here.
·
Get ahead with tenants
o
Where possible, send a bulk SMS
or email out to all of your tenants providing sympathy for anyone experiencing
issues, as well as instructions on who to call for emergencies.
o
Consider emailing them with instructions
of how to best lodge any repair requests with your office, asking them to
include photos/videos for example.
o
Also consider providing details
of any emergency evacuation centres that have been set up in the local area.
o
Ensure you advise that as you
will have an influx of repairs to deal with, response times may be delayed.
o
Consider advice around
switching off electricity and gas in extreme cases.
·
Prepare Owners
o
Send a bulk communication out
to your landlords as well, letting them know that you’ve provided emergency
details to tenants and you will be working through the maintenance issues in
order of urgency.
o
Remind them of their emergency
repair clause within their agency agreement and that whilst every attempt will
be made to keep them up to date, with the increased workload there may be
slight delays in communication while you prioritise the repairs.
o
Perhaps consider pre-framing
the possibility of rent reductions and uninhabitable premises.
o
Ask them to provide up to date
insurer details if you do not hold them on file.
·
Mindset
o
Remember that for many their
homes and belongings have been damaged of destroyed, everyone handles these
situations differently and you may come across upset and seemingly unreasonable
people.
o
Try approach all calls and
situations from an angle of empathy even if you are feeling stressed and the
other person is irate. You may take on the role of a pseudo counselor at times.
Remember the importance of listening and do not take anything personally.
·
Contractors
o
Where possible speak to your
contractors in advance to determine their work load, expected response time
frames, and their best suggestions in minimizing damage to the property in the
meantime. This will assist with providing accurate communication to your
tenants and landlords.
o
Consider contacting additional
contractors to help with the additional workload during this time. However, ensure
you get a copy of their insurance details first.
·
Triage all incoming issues.
o
Whilst continuing to log all
repairs into the system as normal, consider setting up a “triage” board or
spreadsheet in your office and categorizing each issue that comes in, similar
to what they have to do in an emergency room in a hospital. This will help you
immensely when you’re feeling overwhelmed and not knowing what to do first.
o
Each few hours, re-group as a
team and reprioritize what you are working on.
·
Give support staff dialogue
o
Provide your reception and
support team with the best dialogue when speaking with your clients, to minimize
the stress of incoming calls and ensure they know the detail of information to
collect.
·
Documentation
o
Be as meticulous as possible in
keeping records and documentation. Especially where it comes to compensation or
time away from the premises. Keeping thorough notes and documentation on the
situations, will make your life easier when processing insurance claims, rental
compensation and resolving issues down the track.
·
Compensation
o
Where tenants are requesting
compensation, remember that a landlord is not required to compensate a tenant
for damage to the tenants belongings, this would need to be covered by their
own contents insurance - the tenant should be advised this at the start of the
tenancy.
o
Remember it is okay to defer
this conversation, when requested you can let the tenants know that whilst you
can’t promise anything you will work on coming to an agreement in regards to
this, but your main focus is getting the issue resolved right now.
o
If the tenancy is ended
permanently, no rent is payable from the day the tenant moves out. Any rent
already paid in advance must be fully refunded to the tenant.
o
If the tenant moves out
temporarily or continues living in the partially damaged premises, the rent
should be waived or reduced. Whether any rent is payable at all and, if so, the
level of reduction will depend on the extent of the damage and the amount of
use the tenant has of the premises.
· Fees
o
Check if your managing agency
agreement includes a disaster management fee. After all, if a natural disaster
occurs your management resources will be pushed to the limit and you may need
to pay existing staff over time. It may seem harsh to ask for this during
during a time of hardship, however ensuring your agency is remunerated
adequately for managing properties through a natural disaster is important.
Most importantly, remember to stay patient.
If you feel overwhelmed, take a moment to breath and re-organize yourself, and
if you need any help or support, don’t hesitate to get in contact via email.
Please feel free to use the Emergency
Management Checklist that we have created for you to use in these situations and contact us by phone or e-mail if you need any assistance during these times, we are here to help!
Real+ Team
02 8355 4999 / team@realplusonline.com.au
