When I was first interviewed at First Rate, I was asked, “Who do you think is the most important; our property owners, our vendors, or our tenants?” Would they want me to say the property owners? After all, it’s the management fees that pay the bills. What about our vendors? Without them, we wouldn’t be able to maintain the rental unit. Of course, tenants are important because they pay the rent. I considered this for a moment before telling them what I thought: “they are all important”.
Without our property owners, we have nothing to manage. We should respect what we were entrusted to take care of. Without our vendors, we can’t maintain the properties. We must cultivate a solid and honest working relationship with every business that we utilize. Finally, our tenants must be valued as well. They are the reason for the rental property existing – without tenants, where is our business?
It’s not lost on me that there is a common idea that property managers or landlords are the “bad guys.” I’ve even had that mentality myself with property management companies I’ve rented from. “They’re just here to collect a check”. I honestly believe, particularly regarding the value of tenants, and in my time here at FRPM, I have been pleasantly surprised at the mentality here at First Rate.
Since working at First Rate, I am now very aware that this is simply not the case, at least not with FRPM. From my very first week here it was shown to me that tenants are to be respected, looked out for, and treated with the same care that any employee here would want to be treated.
It’s important to remember that FRPM is entrusted to care for the place where people live. A company that does not value those they rent to are destined to struggle to rent again. And it’s not only the right thing to do; treating tenants with empathy and compassion is also an intelligent business decision.
It’s important to be a company that property owners are interested in doing business with. We want to make sure our business has the quality and integrity that owners look for when finding a company to manage their investment. The appeal to property owners, however, is just half of the equation.
With so much new housing popping up in the area and several property management companies to look after it, tenants have a nice diverse market to pick from. Speaking from a renter’s perspective, the address is only part of what I evaluate when looking to live somewhere. The moment I know who’s managing an area, I do my research and see what I can find about the property manager. All it takes is a couple bad reviews online or some negative opinions from friends for me to rethink renting from that company.
Think about when you rented an apartment or a dorm or a room in someone’s house, and think back to both the positive and negative experiences that it entailed. Take a breath, pause, and think to yourself, “How would I like to be treated if I was renting from a property management company?”