Contrary to the common misconception that property management is little more than collecting the rent and bossing a handy man around, in reality property management for houses is an involved affair that should realistically be handled by a professional. While some property owners do entrust the maintenance and management of their property to people unqualified to do the job properly, in general this is a bad idea, especially for property owners that have multiple houses to be managed. As discussed below, there are quite a few rather complex responsibilities that usually fall under the jurisdiction of the property manager.

Obviously the primary responsibility tied to property management for houses is the maintenance of the general physical property. This means both ensuring that everything is operating properly (doors and windows, plumbing, electricity, etc.) and that everything meets the aesthetic standards agreed to (lawn care, painting, general cleanliness, etc.). Sometimes this responsibility also includes making capital improvements as determined by the property owner, so the manager may end up having to oversee the installation of new amenities and may be charged with handling the budgeting and financial requirements of such work.

The property manager is usually in charge of ensuring that the property is also in compliance with all of the laws and regulation related to residential property in force in the area. This means ensuring that the house meets the standards imposed by local fire, health, and safety standards as well as other community enforced matters such as waste disposal or homeowner association guidelines. More often than not, this is a major responsibility imposed by contract on the property manager and the penalties for noncompliance fall on the manager as opposed to the owner; therefore this is something that should be taken seriously.

All real estate also faces a number of risk factors, from things like fire and storm damage to injury liability for people injured on the property and so on. In general it is the responsibility of the property manager to manage this risk and take whatever precautions are necessary to minimize such risks and have contingency plans in place in case the threat is realized. This means the property manager should have a good understanding of the insurance contract on the property and be able to confidently discuss risk management options with the property owner as needed in order to minimize risk.

Property management for houses also frequently involves a degree of responsiveness and diplomacy if the house is being rented or leased by a resident tenant. The property manager is the “go to” person for the tenant, so it is important for the property manager to have good interpersonal and communication skills. Generally speaking, tenant expectations are high when it comes to the property manager meeting their responsibilities – especially in respect to maintenance issues – and the property manager has to be able to deal with this.

Finally, all of the above has to be done within the perimeters set by the property owner, who will usually impose a fairly strict budget for all property management expenses and expect the manager to handle most of the day to day problems responsibly without the active participation of the owner. This means that property managers should be good self-starters and independent thinkers that can determine what needs to be done and do it without being a bother to their employer. This is, after all, what the property owner is paying for.