There are certain daily tasks that are guilty of draining important time from your day. Annoying phone calls for minor clarifications is one of them. Now we don’t want to discourage one on one communication with your owners, tenants and suppliers. That is not what we are about. Yet, we are about minimising the requirement for calls that could and should be self-explanatory. 

So, we have compiled a list of some of the most common, and yet most avoidable, causes for annoying phone calls. And trust us, we know. Now all our tips for owners, tenants and suppliers should be laid out upon commencement of the relationship. So every time you source a new supplier or bring in a new owner or tenant, ensure these points are 100% clear. It’ll save you mountains of time in the future.

Tips for Owners

It all comes down to communication your owners, the better you communicate with your owners, the better the relationship will be.

  • Show owners how to read a statement from your trust accounting software. Our previous blog outlines the top 10 trust accounting fails that will send your landlords packing which outlines the importance of getting the basics spot on. The more they understand, they less clarification they will need. 
  • Communicate with owners in advance when there are large invoices to pay such as special strata levies.
  • Notify owners in advance via bulk email or SMS if there are changes to the normal End of Month payments. This will undoubtedly stop the inundation of calls if owners are not properly informed. 
  • Communicate with owners if their tenants are in arrears prior to End of Month. If this is the case, owners may need to top up their mortgage account to rectify the difference. 
  • Encourage owners to meet face to face in the office if there are issues with their statement. Face to face communication is always best where possible. Due to the often complex nature of their statements, it is not something that can always be communicated well over email. And as we know, emails can be interpreted very differently from person to person. 

Tips for Tenants

If possible, try to find the time to explain the below items to new tenants at the signing of their new lease.

  • Explain how their rental payments work and the rental cycle. This includes when payments are due and the importance of having rent paid in advance. 
  • Explain to tenants the importance of not splitting rental payments. 
  • Provide tenants with a sample ledger at the commencement of the tenancy. Use the sample as an example of how to read a ledger. Once again, knowledge is key. 
  • Do not chase arrears prior to daily receipting. This is one big waste of time.
  • Enforce a  tenant payment system by utilising payment reference codes. This will help to avoid any potential incorrect receipting issues. And trust us when we say, this happens more than you’d care to imagine.

Tips for Suppliers

  • Advise suppliers when to expect payment from your agency. Once again a simple notice that can help avoidable and unnecessary phone calls.
  • Provide suppliers with an invoice deadline. This will ensure you are not bombarded with a magnitude of last minute invoices to be paid at the same time.
  • Notify suppliers via email or SMS if there are going to be changes to the payment cycle. Once again, the more knowledge they have, the better. 
  • Obtain supplier bank details prior to End of Month or Mid-Month payment runs. This will ensure the process is a seamless one with less running around on your side. 
  • Set up a specific ‘accounts’ email for invoices to be sent. This will ensure important supplier emails are not overlooked in the Property Manager’s inbox. Things are streamlined and orderly to minimise mistakes.

Pretty simple stuff right? It usually is. Get the basics right by keeping your owners, tenants and suppliers informed, and you are already on your way to less annoying phone calls.