Post-COVID Property Management Predictions and Practices

No matter how different we might be from one person to the next, one thing remains the same. The year 2020 changed us all. Whether it was your next holiday downgrading from a beach in sunny Spain to ice cream in the local park or swapping work from your city centre office to the sofa in your front room, it's safe to say that we have all experienced change in one way or another this year. And try as we might, getting things back to ‘normal’ might not be quite how we remember it. Our way of life is changing and adapting more than it has ever had to, but what does that mean for how our day to day will begin to look? We have outlined some of these key points for you below.

Cleanliness Is Key

Ensuring communal areas within your building are cleaned more regularly and to a high standard will become a vital practice for any property manager or company. Although this is not technically seen as something new, you may start to notice it happening a lot more often going forward as property managers will be keen to demonstrate this to any existing or new residents. Any air filtration systems fitted within the building will also be checked more regularly and could also be upgraded if they are old.

Contact Free Transactions

Meeting someone face to face for things such as rent collection or even to discuss building improvements will become a thing of the past. Going forward these types of communications can be covered virtually via email or even over a facetime app.

Branded PPE

As we know, face coverings are becoming a vital necessity when you’re in any public space. Unfortunately, surgical face masks don’t look particularly appealing so some companies have now started to create branded versions to match either with a company logo or with employee uniforms. Within apartment buildings, some management companies may offer masks to residents or guests visiting the property to ensure that this safety practice is being followed as closely as possible. The distribution of PPE will become a must for residential property managers.

Virtual Building Tours

Now we know that this sometimes can’t compare, as visiting a property and seeing it in person is really important when you are choosing a prospective place to live, however, it does also have its benefits too. You will be able to make a huge saving on time by touring multiple properties without having to leave the comfort of your own sofa and if you are feeling cautious about leaving the house at all during COVID, this is a great way to combat those concerns whilst still being productive in your search.

Additional Fees

It is a possibility that in order to cover the additional costs for things such as extra cleaning, enforcing safety procedures, and installing new technology these may be included within the lease of a new property meaning rates could be higher going forward. These new fees are commonly being referred to as ‘COVID charges’.

Cashless Payments

Whilst many of us would already choose to pay with our contactless cards over using any other methods, it will now become a requirement that all transactions are made through the debit/credit channel rather than with cash.

Food & Drink Stations

Sadly, snack bars or tea and coffee stations commonly found within office spaces will be a thing of the past (for now anyway). Unfortunately, there really is no feasible way to safely allow people to use these self-service refreshments stands so for the time being, they will likely need to be removed from buildings.

Over time, things will gradually ease back into a more familiar routine and as the government relaxes rules slightly we may start to see fewer virtual discussions with more personable meetings returning. However, it is likely that precautions such as extra cleaning of public spaces and wearing mask coverings in communal areas could be around for far longer and may even become a part of our new way of life.