No two days are ever the same in the life of a Property Manager as Katy Clark explains…
February 2018
As a senior surveyor in the Property Management team at Naylors, Katy has a very busy and varied role which entails regular building inspections for the firm’s large and diverse management portfolio, she tells us more about her role in this blog…
My working week usually starts with a flurry of correspondence which can range from liaison with tenants to dealing with contractor invoices and sorting out keys for access to properties.
Then I review my diary for the week ahead, which will typically involve a number of inspections of the commercial and residential properties we manage throughout the UK.
By carrying out monthly inspections of managed properties we can speak to tenants on site, get their feedback on how each building operates and establish any areas for improvement.
One day I might be in Aberdeen and then the next in Sheffield. Our management portfolio includes a range of properties throughout the North of England but many further afield, so we always plan our inspections in advance to try and make best use of our time. We find getting out of the office and physically looking at a building can help us to identify a full range of issues.
Once I am at an inspection I might flag up an issue which warrants an on-site meeting with contractors, to ensure that they are carrying out the appropriate works. This helps us to ensure that tenants are only paying for necessary works and that they also understand what the works involve.
At Naylors, we have a 24-hour help desk facility to enable tenants to report issues of concern or any areas of disrepair at any time of the day. Carrying out a routine inspection enables me to assess the latest situation regarding any reported issues, take further action if required and update our records.
Walking around a building such as a multi-let office, also gives me the opportunity to identify compliance issues and report these to our facilities managers. These may include Health & Safety, Fire Risk Assessment or Access Audit compliance issues for the common areas. Our facilities managers can also work directly for individual tenants in a building to ensure that they personally comply with the necessary requirements.
Dealing with contractors is a big part of my job but sometimes it can be a straightforward issue such as an access problem. For example, last week I had a gritting contractor unable to grit a car park early one morning because the gates were unexpectedly locked. Occasionally we encounter issues such as parking violations, trapped lifts or unusual smells in a building.
My working days can often be long and hectic and not particularly glamourous. But I enjoy the challenge of juggling a full range of tasks that need to be taken care of to ensure a building is operating as it should be – no two days are ever the same.