There are many things that Covid 19 significantly changed. The way we socialize, work, dine in a restaurant, travel, the school set up, and many health and safety protocols have been added to our daily lives. The Covid 19 pandemic has also affected businesses and industries as it continues to spread worldwide. Many business owners are struggling with how they can handle and respond to this pandemic. And there are also Brooklyn property management Covid19 precautions that are being implemented.
In particular, property managers and landlords are trying to figure out how to protect the health and safety of tenants and staff by assessing the situation and taking the best steps. It’s also important for property managers and landlords to have a plan for dealing with emergencies, whether things are going well or not.
The property management company should focus on the things that need immediate attention. Like the health and safety of their employees, clients, tenants, finances, and short-term and long-term liquidity. Since all the non-essential businesses are closing, many people are losing their jobs which may continually affect their ability to pay rent in the long run.
Property managers and landlords face a tough situation. They’re learning to adjust, too. However, they would provide a safe environment for their tenants while being profitable and productive.
Working actively, efficiently, and effectively to deal with COVID 19 is very crucial. You should always find ways as a property manager to work efficiently despite being in the middle of a COVID 19 outbreak, social distancing, and quarantines.
Here are our top things to consider in Brooklyn property management Covid19 precautions
Creating a Pandemic Action Plan
Most property management companies are also not ready for COVID 19 and how it would affect their business. But it’s better to make one so that the operations don’t keep going wrong.
Several guidelines have been rolled out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ) in the operations of a business to avoid the transmission of infections.
Before creating a pandemic plan, you must consult your state legislation and the CDC to know more about the protocol and regulations during the pandemic.
Safety First on The Property
As a successful property manager, safety is always at the front line of your rental business operations during the pandemic. You should always ensure that your staff and tenants follow and understand the importance of health protocols such as the proper wearing of a mask and social distancing.
Residents and staff should be involved and make an effort to ensure the safety of the community. Additionally, here are some safety guidelines:
- Wearing masks on elevators and common areas – Implementing a policy for wearing masks of tenants to the common areas and elevators can reduce infections in multifamily units. Awareness through displaying signs and notices will help the residents with the health protocols on the property.
- Revise package delivery policies – Most multifamily units and apartments have storage for mail and packages for their resident. But this setup requires direct contact with the courier and tenants. You should advise the courier to drop parcels at the door or in a common area.
- Restriction of service providers – Property managers, should have open communication with the service providers such as phone, plumbing, internet, and HVAC to know the health and safety protocols taking effect in the community for the safety of the tenants. And service providers should only be allowed if there is an urgent request.
Strengthen Proper Cleaning Practices
One of the best ways to fight the virus is to have clean surroundings, so you have to strengthen the cleaning policy in the community. As a property manager, you should highlight the importance of cleaning different surfaces like tables, light switches, doorknobs, and phones.
It would be best to consider installing hand sanitizers in most congested areas such as elevators and entryways and providing tenants with suitable cleaning wipes to sanitize and eliminate the spread of the virus.
Posting signages in common areas is a reminder always to practice cleaning for your tenant’s health and safety.
Virtual Showings
The usefulness and popularity of virtual tours have drastically increased during this COVID 19 pandemic. The availability of applications like Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime make the virtual tour easy for the landlords to get potential tenants for vacant rental properties.
There are several ways to make it happen. One way is by video recording the property and posting it online and on different social media networks such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. You will only need a smartphone and a few clicks. And eventually, a potential tenant will contact you about the property’s information.
The second way is through guided video tours. This method will take more time and effort but will have a positive result in the end. The good thing about this method is that there is a chance for the potential tenants to have a conversation with the property manager and ask questions directly. In addition, there is a personal touch with this video tour that makes it outstanding among other property managers that use a different approach.
Large high-end properties and multifamily complexes property managers and landlords are considering hiring a company that creates a 3D representation of the unit. Potential tenants will visit the website and look at the identical model unit they want to rent. There is an increase in trends using this 3D representation due to the comprehensive view of the property. The potential tenants will be able to browse every detail without the camera.
Reevaluate Eviction Policy
You should check the local and federal laws for eviction in your location if there is a change in the guidelines. It is an excellent point to reevaluate the eviction policy to adjust your tenant in these trying times like the pandemic that we are facing nowadays.
Waiving of late fees should be considered during these pandemic times when many people aren’t getting back to work. Even though it may not have a good impact on the financial side of the business, it will be beneficial in the long run to retain tenants.
Remotely Handling of Renewals
One of the successful aspects of property management is renewals. Retention of tenants should be the goal nowadays since there is an economic dilemma in the realm. So without personal contact with the tenants and visits to the office, you should maintain the present finances that you have in the business.
With the use of property management software, there are tasks that you can do and update remotely. As well on your tenant’s side, they can read and review contracts comfortably and hassle-free. And you can communicate and update your tenants with the use of this software.
Temporary Suspend Non-Essential Repairs
To minimize direct contact between staff and tenants, performing maintenance should only be done in the event of an emergency. In this way, it will help to reduce the personal contact between tenants and staff.
Here is a list of essential repairs that should be conducted as part of property management Covid19 precautions:
- Lost or broken keys
- Power loss
- Mold presence
- Pipe and roof leaks
- Defective air conditioner
- Defective stove and refrigerator
- Presence of toxic fumes and gas
Communication with Tenants
There are people that are not open to change, mainly when it causes inconvenience to them. Opening the line of communication with tenants and constantly updating them to lessen the complaints and not-needed emails.
Tenants must know about community changes. Landlords and tenants must communicate in this situation.
Internet Presence
Finding tenants with rent signs, print media, and other physical advertising. This strategy is outdated as more individuals work from home.
Property managers should invest in digital and social media marketing. This will give you a wide range of possible renters.
It would be best to start by venturing into different social media platforms like Zillow, Craiglist, and Trulia. And if you want to bring up potential leads, Instagram and Facebook are also excellent tools. You can also post listings and digital followings through these social media platforms.
Stay Informed
The most important tool to fight this COVID19 pandemic as a property manager is knowledge. It would help if you constantly stay updated on the latest news within your area about reported activities to help you with the planning.
Assign a team member to monitor updates from CDC covid summary and index. As a property manager, it is for you to create more preventive measures that are applicable in this situation. And update this to your clients and tenants if necessary.
Final Thoughts
As a property manager, keep everything in mind. Panic is not helpful and can worsen the Covid19 situation.
You can give your clients the great service they deserve by staying calm and relaxed, putting in place new policies, keeping the lines of communication open, and using new technology and social media networks.
So to summarize Brooklyn property management Covid19 precautions you should remember to keep calm, practice social distancing, follow health and safety protocols and always wash your hands.
