Common Complaints
Though most property managers are professional, hardworking, and sincere in their duties and responsibilities, some are not, and this small percentage of managers can give the property management business a bad name. Below are some of the most common complaints about property managers. I am sure some of you can come up with additional complaints as well.
1. “We never get timely response from our property manager.”
2. “We never get a return telephone call from the manager.”
3. “We never see the property manager when they make their site visits.”
4. “We never know the status of our projects.”
5. “Our property manager never keeps his word. He tells us yes, and yet, nothing ever gets done or gets done on time.”
6. “We never get any help, advice or expertise from our manager.”
7. “Our property manager is never prepared and never guides us at our Board of Directors Meetings.”
8. “We feel like our property manager is spread too thin and does not have the time to serve our community properly.”
9. “We feel that our management company is too big/too small and we don’t get the service we need.”
10. “Our property manager is real nice but overall is ineffective.”
11. “We do not like the property manager’s personality.”
12. “Our property manager can never explain our financials to us”
13. “We feel like property management is expensive and have little value, all we do is pay them.”
14. “In order to get something done, we do it ourselves. We feel like we are the property manager.”
Yes, there are some poor managers and bad management companies but overall I believe that there are more good ones than bad ones. I believe that there is a disconnect from what an owner/Board member believes or perceives what a property manager/management company “should do” and what “that property management company can do”.
Due to the nature of, and the responsibilities set forth in, the association’s documents, in the state laws governing associations and finally the terms of the management agreements, property managers are limited in what they can do for or what they can solve for the association. Ultimately, it is up to the membership, through their Board of Directors, to make the tough decisions and to maintain the association, according to their documents.
Back to the common complaints about the property manager as dscussed above, if these are problems that you are experiencing with your property manager, talk to their management company supervisor about this. It may not be necessary to replace the management company, just the manager, when problems like these arise. Good constructive feedback to the management company will help the association get what they are looking for in terms of effective community association property management.
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