Posted by By Oretta Croushore, Property Manager for Home Rental Services
In the last few months, we have been making some changes with processes and systems at Home Rental Services. Even the most well oiled machine can stand for a tune up now and again. This kind of update can be painful. After all, the way we’ve always done things is familiar, like that old hoodie in the back of your closet. You know what to expect from it. You know that hoodie can take a trip to the grocery store or out to do some leaf raking. He’s not the one you are going to wear on date night, but that’s ok, he knows, you know. It’s a comfortable relationship.
Maintenance Management
One area that we have decided to update earlier this year was in maintenance management. I think most property managers will tell you this is an area that seems to constantly need tweaking. There are a lot of components to keep track of.
Maintenance is not an area where first in, first out works. There are a lot of plates spinning at the same time. Triage is of the utmost importance. I don’t think I ever used the word triage in a job prior to this one.
No heat in the middle of the winter has to be handled as soon as possible. That might mean that something like a leaky faucet has to wait. Communication is the name of the game in maintenance management. The PM needs to be able to connect with the vendor. The renter and vendor need to connect as well. This is one of the reasons that vetted, preferred vendors are invaluable to a property manager. The vendor and the PM know how to work together to get repairs done in a timely fashion.
Property Meld
Property Meld is the new kid on the block at HRS. It is a maintenance management software that has really put a lot of thought into how to cover bases.
Our renters log into their Property Meld portal to submit a maintenance request. They can easily upload photos and give a full description of what is happening. Before they complete the submission, the renter has to choose at least five times to schedule. This is not a guaranteed time until it’s confirmed by the vendor. However, once the vendor receives that request through their portal, if they have availability that matches one of the renter’s requested time, they can schedule it right there. There’s no need to play phone tag with the renter to get it set.
There is fabulous texting capabilities in Property Meld. Vendor, PM, and renter can all text with each other. The text conversation is attached to the work order. So, we can see all the exchanges associated with that work order. This is a great way for vendors to request photos or more information.
Once the request is submitted, Property Meld automatically generates various troubleshooting tips based on the request that was made. They even have links to You Tube videos in case the renter doesn’t know how to check something that might be the cause of the problem!
We love problems that can be solved quickly and easily. The renter likes that too. If turning it off and turning it back on takes care of the problem, then everyone wins!
I have to admit, I was not a hard sell on Property Meld. I was falling in love half way through the first sales call. Showing me a way to make everything easier for renters, vendors, and the HRS team is the equivalent of flirting with me. My giddiness hit a wall though, when I realized there was a key component missing…
What about after hours emergency calls?
We are used to having a team who takes after hours emergency calls on the evenings and weekends. I’ve heard the nightmares of the old days when the PM was on call 24/7. I do not want to live that life, for sure. In addition to handling the emergency calls, we have also had a team who takes care of assigning vendors based on our company’s criteria. This takes so much off of the PM plate!
As I started to feel sad that my new boyfriend might not be THE ONE, Property Meld swooped in with an answer. They introduced us to a parent company called EZ Repair. These guys are great. They handle all the things the system can’t automate. They can communicate with HRS, the vendor, or the renter through the text feature as well. The agents are well versed in Property Meld. They do a great job of using logic to solve an issue. If they can’t find a solution, they reach out to HRS, following up as needed, to see what next steps should be taken.
Any change in system or process can be daunting. I hate it when I can’t figure out how to do something in a new system when I could do it in my sleep in the old one. There have been some growing pains here and there. Growing pains mean we are growing and that is something to be proud of! And we are always looking at ways to make our processes more effective and efficient because that ultimately benefits our clients.
Do you have a property management company you trust and enjoy working with? If not, it might be time to give us a call!
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