Opinion
What happens after you sign with a property manager?
A forecast might persuade you to sign. Before you do, ask who will deal with the awkward jobs afterwards. I run UpgradedPM, and I think you should put these questions to us too.
I understand why a landlord chooses a name they recognise. You are handing over a valuable property. Familiarity feels reassuring.
I also know how frustrating it is to run a smaller management company and feel that a bigger name gets considered first. I put money into our people and care a great deal about how they look after a home. It bothers me when that work is hard to see from the outside.
But a landlord owes us no sympathy. You should not choose UpgradedPM because I care, or choose somebody else because you have seen their name more often. You need to know what you are buying.
Before you sign, ask the company to talk you through a problem. Not its biggest success story. An ordinary repair that becomes inconvenient. Who takes responsibility, and how will you know the job has actually been finished?
I would ask how the forecast was put together
Of course income matters. A landlord needs a commercial reason to appoint a manager. I am not arguing that you should ignore a stronger forecast or accept weak returns because somebody seems sincere.
I would ask what the forecast assumes. How many nights or months are let, at what rate, and with which costs still to come out? For a short let, the difference between booking revenue and what reaches the owner can be substantial. A busy calendar also creates work and bills.
Ask the company to explain a quieter period and an ordinary repair, not only its best month. You need enough detail to make a decision. A large number with no explanation leaves you buying somebody’s confidence.
Then ask what happens after that number has won the instruction. Who checks whether the property is ready? Who notices when the plan is not working? Who changes it, and who explains that change to you? Those are service questions, and they deserve as much attention as the forecast.
Try this conversation before handing over the keys
Imagine a guest reports no hot water shortly before the next arrival. There is a property to investigate, somebody already inconvenienced and another booking about to begin. Sending a message to a tradesperson is one step. There is still a guest to update, access to arrange, spending to authorise and an outcome to check.
The situation below is illustrative. I would want a manager to explain how they would handle every part of it before I handed over the keys.
No hot water before an arrival
Follow the problem from the first report to the owner update. Someone needs to keep hold of it throughout.
The reportSomeone needs to take ownership
The management team needs to establish what has been reported, who is affected and whether there is an immediate safety concern. The situation should be assessed by an appropriate person, with qualified help where needed. A guest should not be expected to diagnose or repair equipment.
As an owner, ask who is now responsible for progressing the problem and what information the next person will receive.
The repairAn appointment is not the finished job
Somebody needs to arrange access, confirm the work the engineer is being asked to assess and deal with the agreed spending authority. If a quote needs your decision, you should understand what you are deciding and what happens while it is unresolved.
Ask how the manager will keep the repair moving if the first appointment cannot go ahead or a part is unavailable.
The guestThe booking still needs managing
A repair booking does not resolve what the current guest has experienced or what the next guest has been promised. The management team still needs to communicate honestly and decide what arrangements are appropriate to the circumstances and booking terms.
Ask who handles that conversation and how a delayed repair reaches the person looking after the next arrival.
The outcomeCheck the result before closing the problem
The company needs to establish what was done, whether the reported issue was resolved and whether further work remains. The owner update should connect the outcome with the work and charges, rather than leave you reconstructing it from separate messages.
Ask what record you will receive and how an unresolved issue stays assigned when somebody is away or another person takes over.
Why I put money into our own team
We have chosen a directly employed, full time UK management team. That means paying for people, training and cover. I want the person dealing with a home to understand it and to have colleagues they can turn to when a problem crosses from guest communication into maintenance or owner reporting.
An employment contract does not make someone competent by itself. Good contractors do valuable work, and a specialist trade needs the right qualifications for the job. Whether work is carried out by an employee or a specialist contractor, I want a named person inside the management company following it through.
Meet the people you will actually deal with. Find out who covers absence and what happens outside the usual working day. Ask how someone taking over a problem will know what has already been agreed. A good answer should survive the sales contact being on holiday.
I do not expect anyone to pay us for having good intentions. The investment in a team has to show up in the service. If we are asking you to trust us, we should be able to explain how that responsibility works.
Put the quotation beside a real job
I am happy for a landlord to compare our price. I want that comparison to include what happens when the property needs attention, as well as the headline percentage.
Take the hot water example and ask what the management fee pays for. Coordinating an engineer is different from paying the engineer’s invoice. Ask how spending is authorised, how a repair charge is recorded and what happens if further work is needed. Get the charging schedule and agreed scope before you sign.
Our management pricing page explains our current fees and how coordination relates to the costs of the work itself. Read that alongside the service you are agreeing to buy. Do not leave the engineer’s invoice to settle a disagreement about what ‘fully managed’ meant.
I would also ask to see an example owner update with somebody else’s private details removed. Could you understand the income, deductions and unresolved issues from it? A polished screenshot is less useful if nobody can explain the figures or tell you what remains open.
Read what the reviews are describing
I am proud when someone takes the time to describe a good experience with us, in their own words. The detail tells me much more than a row of stars.
For a landlord, the detail matters. A guest can give useful feedback about a comfortable stay. When choosing management, also look for what owners say about communication and how a problem was handled over time. Read the company’s response to criticism as carefully as the star rating.
Asking customers for honest feedback is legitimate. The Competition and Markets Authority distinguishes that from fake reviews and reviews with hidden incentives. A smaller review count does not prove a better service, either. I cannot ask you to judge us generously on one measure and then dismiss somebody else for doing well on it.
Ask to speak to an owner whose property and management arrangement are relevant to yours, if they are happy to have the conversation. Find out how the relationship works after the initial excitement has worn off. One enthusiastic testimonial cannot answer every question.
I find the visibility gap frustrating too
I would like the work we put into the service to make us easier to find. Of course I would. It is frustrating when visibility feels easier to recognise than the quality of the work itself.
Google describes Search as using many page and site signals, including link analysis. It is not conducting a management interview for you. The first result still needs to answer your questions about spending, cover and unfinished work. So does the fifth.
I want us to earn consideration by explaining our work clearly. If this article prompts you to ask harder questions of us, good. You should not have to take a founder’s enthusiasm as proof.
Ask the awkward questions now
Ask for the service scope and charging schedule, then put a plausible problem to the company and listen to how it would be handled. If the answers are vague, ask again. You are not being difficult. You are deciding who will look after your property.
Make the first month part of the conversation too. Agree who you will deal with, what you need to provide and how you will review the arrangement. Our practical guide to how property management works covers the wider handover and ongoing process.
Finally, understand the notice and handover arrangements if you leave. A responsible relationship needs a clear end as well as a convincing beginning. Check how access, records and outstanding work would be handed over under the agreement.
You are allowed to ask more than what the property could earn. You are paying somebody to take responsibility. Make them explain how they will do it.
A message you can use before signing
Save the messageBefore we sign, please talk me through how the management will work after handover. I would like to know who my main contact will be, who covers them and how you handle an urgent problem outside usual working hours.
Please send the service scope and full charging schedule. Talk me through how a repair would be authorised, progressed and checked, including what happens if it cannot be completed at the first visit. I would also like to see an example owner update with private details removed.
Please confirm what we should each do during the first month and how we will review the arrangement. I would also like to understand the notice, access and records handover arrangements if either of us ends the agreement.