A tenant messages you about a leak just as you’re about to walk into a meeting. While you’re sorting that out, a contractor asks you to arrange access to another property. Then you remember that a flat is becoming vacant next month and you still need to find out what work it needs before you can market it.
You might spend only ten minutes on each call, but you keep having to stop what you’re doing. By Friday, you’ve lost several hours to jobs you thought would take a few minutes.
That’s where I want MyEstate to give landlords their time back. And I’ll tell you something about myself. I love solving problems. It’s just what I do. As an estate agent and a director, I like finding out what’s holding something up, getting the right person involved and seeing it through. I know what that means for the person who owns the property. They can get on with their own day while we get on with ours.
How much time could you get back?
Let’s say you have six issues across your portfolio in a busy week. If each one takes 30 to 60 minutes to coordinate, that’s three to six hours. Think about your last busy week. How many calls did you make? How many people did you have to chase? How many times did you go back through your messages to remember what someone had promised?
People say time is money, and when you run a business, you feel it. Spend six hours chasing repairs across your portfolio and that’s six hours you could have spent with customers, winning work or doing the job people pay you to do. That can mean lost income. And if those calls eat into your Saturday, that’s time with your family you won’t get back either.
The time saving comes when someone else owns those jobs from start to finish. You get involved when we need your approval or a decision from you. We get the information you need to make that decision, then handle the booking, access and follow-up.
One repair can take half a dozen calls
Take a leak. Someone needs to speak to the tenant, find out how serious it is and work out who can attend. If the first plumber is booked up, someone has to try another. If the tenant is at work, someone has to agree a time that suits. After the visit, someone needs to check what was found and whether another trade is needed.
As the landlord, you might only need a couple of minutes to make the decision. We can tell you what the contractor found, what they recommend and what it’s likely to cost. Once you’ve decided, you can get back to your meeting, your business or your day off.
Getting someone out early can also save money. If we catch an active leak before it spreads, the bill might be for a plumbing repair. Once the water has damaged the ceiling, flooring or the flat below, you could be dealing with thousands of pounds in repairs and weeks of calls about access, quotes and insurance.
Fewer jobs for you to remember
A portfolio takes time even when there’s nothing urgent. Safety checks come up for renewal. Inspections need booking. A tenant gives notice and someone has to arrange the checkout, see what needs doing and work out when the property can go back on the market.
When we know a property is coming back, we can start planning. If it’s likely to need decorating, we can find out when the decorator is available and agree a realistic date for marketing. A few calls made early can save you a week of chasing later. They can also help reduce the time the property sits empty.
The same goes for inspections. If we spot a window that won’t close properly or a slow leak under a sink, we can raise it while we’re already dealing with the property. You get a clear update and a recommendation while the job is still manageable.
A clear answer when you need to make a decision
One of the quickest ways to waste a landlord’s time is to forward two quotes with a message asking which one they want. The first quote might look cheaper because it leaves out disposal, materials or making good. Now the landlord has to read both, ring someone to find out what’s included and decide whether the cheaper price is really cheaper.
I’d rather my team make those calls and tell you what each contractor is offering. I want you to know what I’d do if it were my property and why. You keep control of what you spend, and you can make the decision with the facts in front of you.
I take the same approach when a repair keeps coming back. If mould reappears after a room has been decorated, I want to understand what’s driving it before you pay to decorate again. That might mean checking the ventilation, investigating a leak or getting a specialist’s view. Solving it properly can save you the cost of repeat visits and the time you’d spend dealing with the same complaint again.
Who’s doing the chasing?
This is the question I’d ask any managing agent. If a contractor says they’ll call the tenant, who checks that they did? If an appointment is missed, who rearranges it? If the contractor says the repair is finished, who checks whether the tenant is still having the problem?
As a director, I want my team to know who’s responsible for the next step and when it’s due. If you have to keep ringing us to find out whether a job has been done, we’re giving you another person to chase.
Think about the last week you spent managing your properties. What could you have done with those hours if someone else had handled the calls, bookings and follow-up? Give me a call and tell me what keeps interrupting your day. I’ll talk you through what MyEstate can take off your hands.
Richard Gedall MNAEA | AARLA
Director, MyEstate Luton Limited
01582 380330 | 07735 046589
Relax — MyEstate has you covered.
Comments