Problem
In Victoria, Australia
Read this scenario and then analyse how you would respond if you were the property manager.
A landlord has written a letter to your agency describing how your property management team had performed below expectations because it had taken 12 weeks to locate a suitable tenant for her property. You know that the property, a poorly maintained house in a low socio economic area with limited parking options, limited public transport and high unemployment in the local area, was difficult to tenant. The landlord had not been motivated to complete basic repairs such as fixing holes in the plaster and rehanging doors in the kitchen, and so the property had lacked appeal to a range of prospective tenants. The rent the landlord was seeking was approximately 20% higher than comparable properties on the market and there was a 'no pets' policy in place that was further limiting interest from tenants.
You have been asked to review the complaint in line with your agency's complaints policy and then make recommendations to your team about:
1) How to respond to the landlord
2) What can be learnt from the situation for the future
3) Whether there should be a change to the process of working with landlords to obtain suitable tenants
4) Any other options or changes your agency should make to ensure the expectations of landlords and tenants can be met within the scope of your usual property management suite of services