As a condo manager, you hold a position of great responsibility. Here are our tips on how to make your life a little bit easier.
Residents expect to live in a comfortable, safe, well-maintained building in exchange for the rates they pay. And these expectations can leave your to-do list crammed with tasks to oversee, from building maintenance to managing budgets effectively and beyond.
It’s a tough job: you need to consider the needs of the condo, and the building’s community, with almost each day-to-day decision you make.
Sound familiar?
Don’t worry: there are several methods for building a more efficient condo management methodology, boosting residents’ satisfaction, and creating a stronger community.
Here are five simple but effective condo management optimization tips to try.
How do you know what frustrates condo residents if you don’t ask?
Gathering feedback is crucial to identify the biggest concerns among your building’s community. Ideally, there would be no problems and every single resident would have nothing but praise for your approach to condo management.
Sadly, though, that may not be the case.
A slew of irritations could be festering in your community and affecting residents’ quality of life. Everything from elevators that break down far too often to non-residents gaining access to the building and the rundown lobby could all be serious issues you’ve overlooked for too long.
How you gather feedback, though, will require some thought.
Let’s look at two of the simplest options:
Whatever method you choose, make sure you respond to suggestions or requests in good time. Show that you’ve taken feedback on board, discuss potential changes you may implement based on community input, and make residents feel valued.
Condo newsletters can contribute to the sense of community within a building, if even in a small way.
You may choose to distribute this in paper form, via email, or both. The former will involve extra costs and time: you’ll need to design the newsletter pages, print them, and deliver them. And there’s a slight possibility that residents won’t read them, even if they intend to at a later date.
But digital newsletters can also be sent through automated emails for residents to browse on their computer, smartphone, or tablet. They’ll see the newsletter in their inbox and can scroll through without needing to physically handle a paper copy.
Plus, there are a number of free email marketing tools you can use to make your life even easier. Mailchimp is a great platform for creating newsletters, it’s free as long as your contact list is 2000 or less.
But what do you actually put in your newsletter?
These are just a few ideas to inspire you. Whatever content you choose, take time to get the presentation right. Make it eye-catching, easy to read, and in keeping with the building’s style. Try to make residents feel proud to be part of the community.
Condo management can become a complex, even chaotic, process. Particularly during busy periods, when multiple floors are undergoing work or policies need to be updated.
That’s why a good organizational system is vital.
If you aren’t already, start keeping meticulous records of maintenance work, resident complaints/suggestions, finances, correspondence with local authorities, etc. Make sure these are arranged in a system that’s so airtight you can find exactly what you’re looking for with minimal effort.
Whether you rely on physical or digital copies (or a combination of both), set aside time to carefully go through any areas of disarray. Create as many folders and subfolders as you need to streamline your work. Or, if you need a bit more of a helping hand, check out software like Condo Control and Building Link who will be sure to make managing your daily tasks a lot easier.
Controlling finances is one of the most important aspects of condo management. Every cent has to be accounted for when working with contractors (e.g. construction crews, architects, maintenance teams).
It’s smart to be cautious with expenses and try to find the most competitive deals on the market. But you shouldn’t always go for the cheapest option if you have any doubts about a business’s credibility. They may not be as reliable as other firms charging a higher fee.
Choosing the wrong path could leave you facing further expense down the road if shoddy work needs to be fixed or started again from scratch.
Be willing to seek advice on finances to reduce your risk of making poor choices. You may even want to gather opinions from the building’s community: your decisions will affect them in one way or another. Why not be transparent and explore how residents feel?
You might also consider setting up an emergency fund to cover unforeseen issues, such as weather-related damage, floods, fires, etc.
Sharing tough financial decisions with others and setting aside money for emergencies can reduce the amount of time you spend agonizing over choices. It may also alleviate some of the stress that finances tend to cause in even the most experienced managers.
Installing elevator screens is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to optimize condo management.
First and foremost, elevator screens instantly help to modernize any condo building. They look sophisticated, stylish, and utilize cutting-edge technology that lends a rejuvenated feel to elevators that may otherwise require updating.
The best elevator screens, such as those developed by Vertical City, provide residents with up-to-date news and on-screen building notices.
This is a much more direct way to distribute important updates about maintenance work, policy adjustments, service issues, and anything else the community needs to know. It eliminates the need to print dozens of paper memos each time there’s news to share. This reduces waste and contributes to a greener ethos.
You can also post content to the screen from any device for maximum convenience. Add immediate updates and ensure news reaches residents faster than it would through more traditional communication channels.
We hope these five tips inspire you to explore new opportunities. Each can benefit management and residents alike, whether this is creating an outlet for community feedback or finding an exciting new way to share crucial news via elevator screens.
One of the major benefits of Vertical City’s elevator screens is that they’re free to install, involve no extra work, and generate revenue for you through advertising. They create extra funding to channel back into the building while updating your elevators with the latest in display technology. And they provide users with entertainment, weather updates, building notices, and more in an engaging format.
We cover the installation and maintenance: our commitment liberates you from the hassle of keeping your screens operating as they should over time.
Want to learn more? Contact Vertical City’s friendly team today!
