It’s not easy being a block manager. Being in a public-facing role means you get to see all sides of people, both the good and the bad. And as it’s an unregulated industry, it can be all too easy to become stuck in a position you don’t like.
With all that pressure, it’s no surprise that the industry has a higher churn rate than average, according to the IRPM & ARMA 2022 Wellbeing Survey Report. As the 2023 version of the report comes out soon, it’s worth considering some of the previous survey’s main findings.
The 2022 survey indicated a widening gap between leaseholder and landlord relationships, with staff likely to face physically and mentally aggressive behaviour. Mid-level staff were the most squeezed, expected to provide the most but given the least amount of support. They were most likely to leave the sector in 3-5 years and most doubtful about whether they would stay long-term.
But there are steps you can take to boost your career and prove your value.
Follow the industry
Keeping an eye on the latest news and looking out for content from thought leaders such as blogs, guides and webinars has a number of advantages. You’ll gain a better understanding of the issues your landlords and leaseholders face, making conversations and building trust easier. You’ll be better at your job, with a good knowledge of laws and regulations that you can then pass on to others. And you might be able to see change coming before it happens, giving you time to change your practices or start using new tools.
Brush up on the law
The law is king in block management. Knowing your legal responsibilities and your dos and don’ts will help protect your clients and your agency, ensuring neither falls into hot water. The law as it is written can be complicated, but luckily there are a number of content providers who can break judgements and case law down for you. Webinars such as ours offer a good, accessible way to learn from industry experts.
Join professional associations
Although there is no overall regulator for block management, there are professional associations. Organisations like the Association of Registered Managing Agents (ARMA) often have members-only content and run events that can be useful for professional networking and meeting like-minded peers. Go into these with a sense of curiosity, and the learning opportunities will be endless.
Ensure there is evidence of your success
It’s easy to work and work with little to show for it besides a paycheck. As you do your job, make sure to keep a note of your successes through an audit trail. Proving you’ve gone the extra mile could help you to make the case for new clients, contracts or roles. It can also strengthen your relationship with your leaseholders and landlords if you can demonstrate exactly what you do for them, reducing the chance of disagreements.
This information will also serve another purpose, allowing you to evaluate how you are spending your time on each client and to ask where your effort is best served. Is it really worth spending the extra hours on block x when the return is the same as for other developments? Getting into the numbers can help to make critical business decisions like these and figure out what’s best for your agency’s growth.
Stay visible to the customer
Face-to-face interaction is vital to building strong leaseholder relationships. Many people will appreciate seeing a friendly face around their block from time to time to which they can report issues or even just have a chat. Positive interactions like these will help you to see each other as humans and not just a voice on the phone to argue with. Building this trust can mean you’ll be less likely to face unpleasant behaviour when things go wrong or to the leaseholders’ disadvantage.
Become familiar with proptech
In this digital age, a lot of block management companies are going to be using proptech to lighten their load, automate key processes and improve communication. It’s a good idea for your career to train up on the main systems you can expect to encounter, be familiar with what’s current and attend demonstrations. Perhaps you could even suggest a block management solution to your current employer that can help your agency work more effectively.
Stuart Armstrong, Senior Copywriter at Fixflo, the market-leading repairs and maintenance management software
