Property Managers: Why One Point of Contact Can Save You Time and Money

Managing properties, whether one or multiple, means constantly juggling challenges. Dealing with buildings in different cities or counties, communicating with dozens of vendors, handling tenant complaints, staying on budget—the list goes on. Not to mention worrying about the safety and security of the people who live in, work in, and visit each property.

The biggest challenges facing property managers today

If you’re not a property manager yourself, but you own a home, car, or are a parent, you can relate to this feeling: when something goes wrong don’t bother looking around—it’s on you to find a solution. 

The roof is leaking? Solve it. The security cameras need to be replaced? Get it done. The electrician who was supposed to repair the wiring never showed up? It’s on you to figure it out. 

The list of daily responsibilities stretches far and wide, but the underlying theme is this: effectively managing properties requires organizational skills and attention to detail. There’s too much at stake, including the safety of tenants and the financial stability of your property portfolio, to cross your fingers and hope for the best. 

So what are some of the biggest challenges? 

• Dealing with multiple vendors across numerous properties with no single point of contact. Depending on the size and number of properties, you could work with dozens of vendors, each bringing their own scheduling, payment, and work processing system. Handling a single vendor at a single site can take hours each week; that’s time you don’t have. 
• Maintaining regulatory compliance. Ensuring your property meets all current fire and safety regulations has dual benefits: It helps ensure the health and well-being of the occupants. But it’s also business, and it pays to be compliant so you can avoid any safety issues or fines. 
• Staying under budget. Inflation is real and hitting property managers in numerous ways. Prices are up for materials, energy costs, and wages—and the only sure thing about your budget is that cost certainty is a huge pain. 
• Meeting security, fire, and life safety needs of property owners and residents. From trespassing and property damage to break-ins and fire risk, a lot can go wrong. It takes expertise and experience to understand all the requirements, and if your vendor is falling short, you’re not getting what you need to keep your property safe. 

How a security partner can solve these pain points 

The short answer is a classic acronym that applies to life (and property management): K.I.S.S. 

Keep. It. Simple…Smarty. 

The message of K.I.S.S. is not to overthink things. And how does that apply to property management? 

Keeping it simple means streamlining as much as possible. Like having one partner who can help manage the security, service, and compliance needs of your entire portfolio of properties. 

Having one point of contact who knows what they’re doing:

• Eliminates the confusing web of vendors, contracts, and payment schedules. This deluge of duties can be overwhelming with a single property, not to mention across multiple properties. Fewer people to talk to streamlines processes, simplifies communication, and means work gets done faster. 
• Gives you coverage for security, fire, and life safety services. A single security partner can protect your properties with a comprehensive strategic plan that doesn’t vary from site to site or vendor to vendor.
• Helps with cost certainty and system maintenance. Using one provider for your entire portfolio means you can bundle services and ensure you have full-service maintenance plans that keep everything in working shape. Knowing what you’re spending now and six months from now helps you better plan renovations, allocate seasonal energy costs, and budget for the future.
• Keeps you on top of fire and safety compliance. State, local, and federal regulations are routinely updated, making it challenging to stay up to code and easy to bury your head in the sand. A security partner can help keep you compliant with the right regulations. 
• Typically means having access to a management tool. A modern partner that supports commercial security will have an online platform that gives you access to reports, video footage, or even access logs for your properties from your phone or computer.  

Property management security is a big responsibility—and doing it right takes preparation and expertise. If handling your properties is taking a toll on your business, consider a partner who knows the challenges and can help solve them.