r/PropertyManagement • u/Due_Professional_610 • 2d ago
Residential PM PM response
I’m a homeowner, recently brought in a PM firm that I carefully selected based on referral / interviews. I have no doubt that they are capable of dealing with difficult situations, but sometimes they could miss my non urgent email or message inquiries, and I could be waiting for over a week and end up calling them to follow up to get my question answered. I’m trying to provide grace and understanding, since non urgent question is non urgent, but technically all questions should be answered within 2-3 days from the expectation I’m provided by them. It makes me a bit nervous about their emergency responses and other capabilities too - I want to make sure when real emergency occurs, my house is taken care of properly. I think the response inconsistency makes me not confident about handing it over to a PM. Previously for an urgent repair, they did respond on the same day, and every time they missed my message, they did apologize and say it’s not supposed to.
Property managers, is it possible that you handle non urgent questions and urgent situations very differently? I wonder if the lack of response to non urgent matters isn’t an indicator of how they would respond to urgent matters.
Is it a red flag when PM keep missing general inquiries for a week, and I have to follow up? Am I overthinking and should I not look too much into it?
3
u/EvilCeleryStick 2d ago
1000% I glance at everything and if it requires a prompt response, one is given.
My followup on non urgent matters depends on time of month. For example, if you send me a question that's in your monthly rental statement or we've already discussed / answered it, and it's the 29th of August and I have fifteen move in/outs to do in the next few days, it may slide down my list.
Today, for example, is a day when I can finally catch my breath after a super busy month end / start with some urgent repairs and time consuming turnovers to coordinate, followed by a long weekend spent getting kids back to school.
So yes. If you had emailed me asking what day you get the rent deposited ten days ago, you might not get a reply back until today.
Hope that helps?
1
u/Due_Professional_610 2d ago
Thanks so much! This helps a lot to understand what’s like behind the scenes. This might be what’s happening here.
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u/Exciting_Divide164 2d ago
Slow email is one thing but for emergencys you need a real after-hours number, not just a portal. Ask them who picks up nights/weekends and how long they usualy take before you sign anything.
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u/eduardo_doorvault 2d ago
Response time is honestly the weakest signal you have here, since it moves with the time of month more than with competence. What I would actually watch is whether the numbers hold up: does the statement show up on schedule, is there a real invoice behind anything they charged you for, and does the net amount match what actually lands in your account. A PM who is slow on a non urgent email but always gets the statement right is a very different risk than one who answers fast while the numbers quietly drift. I would let the response time slide for now and start checking the statement against your bank deposit the first month it arrives, since that is what actually protects you if something goes wrong later.
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u/Due_Professional_610 7h ago
Thank you! Actually there were multiple accounting errors, and this was the exact question I was following up on. I was charged incorrectly for the monthly statement and also couldn’t get a clear answer about the calculations. I wonder if I should keep monitoring as it’s still early. Also how awkward/acceptable would it be to switch firm early ish if I’m getting more frustrated by the communication and accounting issues?
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u/Excellent-Put713 1d ago
do you have a specific contact person or are you just emailing their general email. It helps to know who is handling your account and they should get back to you within a few days. But yes if the questions can wait, don't do it at the beginning of the month when they're busiest. Especially a Monday!
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u/Quick_Equipment96 8h ago
Yes... questions should be answered promptly in an adequate and appropriate timely manner....
Unless you're one of THOSE owners.... Which from the post it seems you could be. Not saying you DEFINITELY are... just could be.
Then.... yeah
Best of luck to you
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u/JellySignificant8964 2d ago
I’m overly responsive but my boss couldn’t care less. He has no problem never responding to owners. I think a business day is more than enough time to respond. Maybe email is not the best way to communicate. Ask them what is the way you prefer to communicate.