Why is it worth having a Property Manager as part of your investment team during COVID?

By Maria Milillo, Business Support Manager, Property Management, Raine & Horne
JULY 27, 2021

With many Australians ordered into lockdown this month, the value of having an experienced property manager as part of your investment team has never been more critical.

An investment property is a significant asset for all landlords, and you need the absolute best people with the right experience and knowledge to make sure it is professionally managed. When hard lockdowns were announced in March 2020, our Property Managers were responsive to landlords. They handled all of the day-to-day management problems and responsibilities associated with lockdowns, as they recognised, our landlords already had enough to worry about.

The events from 2020 also mean experienced Property Managers can handle whatever the latest round of lockdowns bring. Perhaps your tenants have had their hours at work cut and might be scrambling to pay the rent. Or maybe it will involve arranging a tradesperson’s access to an apartment block to fix a leaky tap or replace a faulty oven.

An experienced Property Manager must adapt during a lockdown to manage tradespeople, conduct routine property inspections, lease properties, and even collect the rent in some instances. But the good news is that skilled Property Managers have done it all before. 

If your investment property is vacant, open homes are not allowed. However, an experienced Property Manager can still organise private inspections with a prospective tenant. The Property Manager will also follow all the appropriate health guidelines. At the same time, when at the property, whether it is for a routine inspection or private inspection, the Property Manager will ensure everyone involved is wearing a mask, will maintain strict social distancing protocols, and ensure all visitors sanitise their hands thoroughly before and after the inspection. 

Experienced Property Managers can also record a short video or live stream of the property and make it available to any prospective tenant who enquires. It’s a significant change when we go into lockdown, so an experienced Property Manager is worth their weight in gold to landlords. 

To find out more about how an experienced Property Manager can support you through lockdowns, contact your local Raine & Horne office.