Just like everything else in the past nineteen months, the world of property management has had to shift and adapt to navigate the ever-changing rules, regulations, and provincial and federal public health guidelines of the current pandemic.
It’s very easy to look at property management as just that: we manage properties. But with the management of properties, no matter which way you slice it, comes the management of people. And with the intent to keep everyone around us: our owners, our tenants, and our staff, safe and healthy during these trying and unprecedented times, we’ve had to do some of our routine tasks a little differently than we might have in a pre-pandemic world.
Just like many different businesses, property management companies worldwide have had to utilize a more contactless, virtual, and online-based approach to their management style.
MARDA Management has been utilizing online payment portals and online-based tenant services since 2017- so the shift to a more cloud-driven management style wasn’t too drastic of a change for us.
In addition, we’ve also moved maintenance requests to a more convenient online option — tenants simply go to our website at www.mardamanagement.com, click on “Tenant Services” at the top of the page, scroll down to, and click on “maintenance.” Then they’re directed to either call our maintenance hotline (open 24/7/365 days a year), or log into their tenant portal to submit a request.
While all service calls are still processed on a priority basis, the presence of a 24/7 maintenance hotline has dramatically improved customer service, providing tenants with the quickest and most effective service possible. The online tenant portal also provides quick and easy access to information tenants would normally call, email, or even show up to the office in person for.
Another space where we’ve had to amp up our digital presence is marketing: especially when it comes to attracting new tenants, we’ve been utilizing Youtube to showcase virtual walk-throughs, and social media to live-stream virtual open houses. While before we might’ve been able to show more units in person to prospective tenants, in an effort to keep everyone safe and healthy, we’ve switched to a more contactless version – by posting walk-through videos of each unit to our youtube channel — this also allows prospective tenant to “walk-through” a unit again and again, as opposed to walking through with a leasing agent once, and then maybe forgetting exactly how the home is laid out, or any important details.
Virtual Open Houses have also taken the place of your standard in-person open house, with an aim to keep both staff and prospective tenants safe and healthy. Utilizing facebook live, prospective tenants can view units and ask any questions they have in real time. It’s all of the information and experience provided by an in-person open house, with the convenience of never having to leave your living room.
COVID-19 has forever changed our world and businesses must learn how to evolve with it. Even with all of the uncertainty of the rental market, as well as the world at large, MARDA Management continues to be a strong leader in this industry, not only by retaining happy tenants for the properties we’ve already managed, but by maintaining happy owners for new properties as well. In the past 18 months alone, MARDA Management has acquired 250 units brand new units, solidifying our title as the largest privately owned property management company in Windsor, Essex. By utilising available technologies, we can fully realize opportunities borne out by this crisis to ensure our organizations continue to thrive into the future.
If you’re looking for a rental home, check out our website at www.mardamanagement.com. Subscribe to our youtube channel to virtually walk through all of our current rental listings, and follow us on facebook and instagram so you never miss a chance to find your next home.
Call MARDA Management today at 519-255-RENT, or email us at info@mardamanagement.com.
