Property managers have one of the toughest jobs in real estate, but that doesn’t stop them from going above and beyond when people are in need.
Much of the time the hard work of property managers goes unnoticed, so it’s worthwhile taking a moment to appreciate a few who have been going the extra mile to make a difference in their communities.
Helping tenants in natural disasters
Anna Sutherland, from Ray White Strathalbyn in South Australia, remembers the tough times many locals faced following a bushfire in Adelaide in 2019.
“A memory that has stayed with me was during the Cudlee Creek bushfires in the Adelaide Hills which resulted in the loss of many homes, and many families found themselves homeless over the Christmas period,” Ms Sutherland said.
“I was on leave for the holidays and I found myself in a mad panic to try and source accommodation for those who had lost everything.
“The phone calls kept coming through from people in need and I had to think outside the box.”
She said she started calling prospective clients and past landlords who may be able to offer either short or long-term accommodation.
“I managed to place five affected families in rental properties through doing this,” she said.
“The one that really hit home was a gentleman who got caught fighting the fire on his farm and received burns to 60 per cent of his body.
“He and his wife lost everything, even the clothes on his back.
“I managed to get a previous landlord to agree to rent their beautiful, fully furnished home again in the local town, leaving to live in their caravan for an eight month period so the wife had somewhere to live while her husband was undergoing skin grafts, surgery and rehabilitation.”
Helping a renter flee domestic violence
Tim Annett, from Ray White Bendigo, was able to step in and find a home for a tenant who was fleeing a domestic violence situation.
“Amanda and her family had been on the hunt for property for a long period of time,” Mr Annett said.
“After inspecting and applying for nearly 200 properties in the Bendigo region, I was fortunate enough to meet Amanda and her family.”
He said he sat down with Amanda and spent some time going over her story and the need for her to get away from the domestic violence situation she was in.
Amanda and her family of two adult children (one also pregnant) and two younger children had been bouncing around various hotels, and with some support from charity groups.
“Eventually this was becoming more and more a financial burden on both the groups assisting and on Amanda,” Mr Annett said.
“I spent time with Amanda working through her application and her housing needs, to get things accurate and to enable her to be a better applicant on properties.
“After a few weeks of working with Amanda and looking for the right home for her we were able to place her into a brand new home in Huntly.
“Amanda and her family now have a new start on life!”
Handling the death of a tenant
Katelin Currell, from Living Here Cush Partners, had to find a way to manage an incredibly challenging situation when an elderly tenant passed away.
“We were notified by the tenant’s daughter-in-law and we were deeply saddened by the news,” Ms Currell said.
“We understood that, as property managers, we are a tiny part of the tenant’s life, however, we knew that this period would be significantly difficult and possibly traumatic for the family, so we did our absolute best to make the process as easy as possible for all parties involved.”
She said her goal was to try and address all the legal requirements and follow the correct process, all while offering support to the family.
“It was important that if we needed to address topics that seemed insensitive and poorly timed, we made sure to humanise the process as best as we could; offering our condolences, wishing that they were okay, relating to their experience with our own experience – even if we couldn’t begin to image the pain they felt,” she said.
“We reminded them that while we have a duty to the landlord to ensure the process is followed, we are still just people, willing to help and get them through this as smoothly as possible so they can grieve.
“The legislation gives us guidelines, but doesn’t teach us empathy, compassion or how to communicate during those times.
“It just comes down to being honest, having some perspective and treating people the way you would want to be treated.”
Housing four-legged friends
Felicity Apps, from Ray White Goulburn in NSW, went over and above to make sure one of her tenants, and their four-legged friend, found a new rental property when the home they were renting was put up for sale.
“Alex was a tenant of mine at my previous agency and followed me across to Ray White in 2021,” Ms Apps said.
“Alex was quite upset and worried about what this meant for her and her pooch.
“My associate Jess and I went to visit Alex with a box of chocolates to put her mind at ease, we discussed the sale process and helped schedule open homes for the auction campaign.
“The property was sold at auction and we promptly found the perfect property for Alex and her beloved dog to move to.”
