The role of a Property Manager is busy and varied and no two hours are the same, let alone two days. Meet Kirsty Taylor, one of FirstPort’s Associate Directors who has worked in property management for seven years. Kirsty recently gave us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her world, talking us through one of her busy days.
MORNING:
Meetings with RMC Director clients
I hosted a ‘Teams’ (virtual) meeting with one of our RMC Directors and some colleagues to discuss the budget for the year ahead for one of my developments in Victoria, London. Usually these meetings would be done in person but with the current Covid-19 restrictions, we have started hosting meetings virtually.
I also had a virtual cup of coffee with another RMC Director over Zoom. Meetings don’t have to always be formal with an agenda - I find some of the most productive discussions come from a chat over a coffee. We used the time to catch-up on planned and on-going work and development finances.
AFTERNOON:
Discussing a development’s summer flower arrangements
I’d arranged a socially distanced walkthrough with Peter, who’s the gardener at one of my developments in Westminster. We chatted about the flowers for the site and managed to choose the colours and varieties for the new season. We also discussed installing some new planters. I love making our developments look nice for our customers.
Video conference call with our in-house Surveying and Major Works teams
One of my developments in Victoria is currently being refurbished. We’d already checked the lease to make sure everything was in order and used this call to further discuss the client’s requirements and approve the plan for the work. Having specialist in-house teams that manage these projects is a great support as I can get updates quickly which I can then share with residents.
Talking to Health and Safety about routine fire safety guidance
I had a call with one of our Health and Safety Managers to talk through a routine fire risk assessment at one of my developments in Victoria. This is a really important part of my job given the focus FirstPort puts on health and safety. Actions following this involved routine measures, such as issuing residents with guidance relating to housekeeping checks for apartment doors, which I sorted immediately after the call.
LATE AFTERNOON:
Interviewing for a Concierge position
One of my developments in East London has a Concierge vacancy. I held Zoom interviews and I am pleased to say I managed to find a brilliant person for the job. It’s really important for me to find the right colleagues for my developments to make sure we deliver a great experience for our customers.
EVENING (AND INTO THE WEEKEND):
Handling a burst boiler room pipe
When a pipe in the boiler room at one of my developments in Westminster burst and flooded part of the basement car park, I worked with the emergency contractors and our Customer Service team to get everything under control within a few hours. I coordinated the repair work and raised the purchase orders for the contractors and out-of-hours team, as work had to be carried out over the weekend.
And that is just one day in the life of one of our dedicated Property Managers. We asked Kirsty what the secret was to staying on top of all the different tasks? And the answer… forward planning and always making sure there are no unacknowledged emails before she logs off.
Want to know more?
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