The Rise of Automation: Do You Still Need People for Property Management?

Automation is the buzzword in many industries today. There’s a lot of technology out there that can help businesses to streamline processes and save money, which is crucial in highly competitive markets.

Like most industries, real estate is being impacted by automation, not just the traditional agency sector but also commercial property management sector.

Property management

There’s plenty of property management technology available today that can be used to both cut expenses and improve client service. But the core of property management is still about developing and maintaining relationships with people. And this requires a human touch that technology will never be able to replace.

Property managers will continue to play a pivotal role. And good property managers will work alongside technology to automate tedious and time-consuming processes. Doing that will allow them to have more time to focus on providing high-quality personal service to landlords and their tenants. It also allows them to pass cost savings on to their clients.  

How automation is affecting property management

There are many tasks associated with property management, including but not limited to:

• renewal of lease agreements
• ensuring WHS compliance
• generating and issuing landlord reports
• rent collection.
• maintaining regular landlord and tenant communication.
• arranging for any necessary repairs and maintenance.

Many of these tasks can now be automated. But good property managers strike a balance between providing personal service and using automation technology. That allows them to have the best of both worlds by capitalising on the unique strengths that both approaches provide.

For example, a good property manager will personally handle potential tenant showings and are always contactable directly by phone or email. This ensures they can provide the personal contact and service that’s so important to building and maintaining relationships.

However, they also use property management technology to automate as many routine tasks as possible. Examples of this may include:

• providing 3-D virtual property tours online. This can allow potential tenants to short-list suitable properties, increasing the chances of landlords filling their commercial property vacancies quickly.
• monthly automated landlord reporting
• providing automated notifications to tenants.
• using apps that allow property repairs and maintenance to be automatically tracked and communicated to landlords and tenants.

The automation of tasks like these provides property management clients with a superior level of service and convenience. It also frees up property managers so that their time can be better spent on more important things.

Why the middleman will always be necessary

There’s no doubt that property management technology is great for automating routine processes and providing people with time-saving information. Both landlords and tenants can now be informed more easily than ever before.

But only people can build and maintain good relationships.

It’s important for landlords to remember that effective property management is crucial to protecting their interests, including maximising the return on their investment. The expert advice and market knowledge that an experienced property manager can provide in developing a strong tenant relationship are invaluable.

A good property manager can save landlords money, time and hassle. They are an important intermediary and can help to quickly resolve any issues between the two parties. They can also prevent issues from developing in the first place by providing a proactive service that combines the personal touch with efficient process automation.

How we can help

Whether you have one commercial property or several, effective property management can be a time-consuming process (even if you do use automated technology). At TGC, commercial property management is our speciality.  We manage a diverse commercial and retail property management portfolio across Sydney and understand that every client and property is unique. Our dedicated team takes the time to understand the needs of our clients and their tenants.

We also use the latest in property management technology to ensure that we always have the time to provide our clients with high-quality personal service. It also means that our clients can easily access all the information they need to manage their investment.

Leave the hard work of managing your property to the experts! Get in touch to find out more about how we can help you.