Annoying Property Managers

It's always important to look at the things you might be doing wrong. So I thought I would look at some annoying things Property Managers do. I'm sure I have been guilty of a couple of these on occasion - don't hold it against me. I have probably forgotten a few too. So let me know. I'm sure you will.

So what are Property Managers so good at doing wrong?

Maintenance:
Not responding to maintenance issues fast enough and then the repair not being to a high quality.

Trying to Fit a Square Peg in a Round Hole:
Signing up with a Property Manager who sends you information on any and all properties they have on their books, rather than properties that match the tenants criteria. This is annoying and wastes time and the tenant loses respect for the Property Manager. 

Withholding Information:
The Property Manager wants the property rented as fast as possible, but tends to highlight the positive and downplay the negative. It could be not mentioning the major traffic issues every Thursday afternoon, or the safety hazards around the house, or even down playing letting fees. This type of behaviour only back fires on the Property Manager in the long run.

Unavailability:
Being a Property Manager is a tiring job, with many hats to wear, but if it's difficult to get hold of you or your other agents, then that is a problem. Your owner clients might start looking for a new Property Manager and the property itself may have some critical things that need to be addressed.

Rambling:
Yes come property mangers like to talk. Usually property managers like people (well I hope so), but sometimes that means they like to talk and talk and talk. Sometimes you will hear the same story over and over - how long they have been in business, what awful things other tenants have done, how their kids are doing. Usually you want a quick answer/solution and move on.

Competition:
It's not news that great properties are in hot demand and there are a lot of qualified potential tenants. It can feel that the Property Manager chooses the tenant based on some arbitrary reason or is playing favourties. That's not the case, but it does feel like it sometimes.

Inspections:
This is an area I will cover more fully, soon. This is an area that most tenants feel a bit touchy about and rightly so. Being thoughtful in the timing of an inspection will go a long way. For example, don't schedule an inspection right after school holidays (if they have kids) or a few days after getting out of hospital. Know your tenants circumstances.

Responsibility:
Sometimes you will get an agent who is not good at their job all round and will 'pass the buck'. From blaming the owner by saying 'the owner wants to know if you are paying rent this week', to blaming the tradesmen 'sorry the plumber just had an emergency, so won't be able to fix the toilet for 10 days.' 

So what indiscretions have I missed? I hate to ask, but feedback is always a good thing, is there anything that we do, that you don't like?