COVID-19 Lockdown & its effect on Property Management

Perth Property Management News & Market Insights  |  3 February 2021

There’s no doubt that the recent unexpected and very sudden announcement of the Perth lockdown has sent Perth Real Estate agencies into a tailspin, with many left confused as to whether they are still able to go into the office, if offices are to be closed and if they are able (and even equipped!) to work from home.

Along with many other businesses and sectors, Real Estate is one that cannot simply come to a grinding halt with such an announcement.

Tenants still have urgent maintenance that needs attending to, Landlords still have mortgages and bills that need paying. Costly, vacant properties still need to find tenants, and tenants still urgently need to find homes!

With all this in mind, it’s important that we’re able to keep things running smoothly whilst (and most importantly) keeping our staff and community safe and hopefully squashing this outbreak before it gets too serious.

Amidst all the chaos, we’d like to give you some insight into what Covid-19 lockdown means for our office, our people and our clients.

Our Licensee, Daisy Campbell sheds some light about the changes we’ve made to get through this period of uncertainty.

How has the lockdown announcement affected our office?

The sudden announcement has meant we’ve had to make some quick decisions with working from home for staff and changes to procedures regarding inspections and property viewings.

The last Perth Covid-19 lockdown of 2020 has well and truly has prepared us for any ongoing disruptions that office closures may typically bring.

We have stringent measures and procedures in place to be able to carry on business efficiently, effectively and safely for all our staff and clients.

Is it business as usual or have certain things been put on hold due to the lockdown?

Routine inspections are still being conducted with the cooperation of our tenants via video, just as we had been successfully doing throughout the last Perth lockdown earlier last year.

Home viewings for vacant properties have temporarily been put on hold until we have more information, although people are still able to view most properties online via virtual video tours, which we produced prior to the lockdown. Applications are still being received online and processed by our leasing staff from their home working stations.

Are our Property Managers equipped to work from home?

For us the transition has been a fairly easy one, as we’ve always been set up to be able to work remotely from home.

The ability to work from home due to family commitments, travel and for having flexible working hours is pivotal for the success and efficiency of our office.

With this already in place, it has meant our staff feel confident and capable to easily pick up and continue their work with little to no affect to our customers whatsoever.

How do staff find working from home VS working from office?

Everyone is different! Some thrive working at home and some are itching to get back into office environment.

Our office has always been set-up to offer the flexibility of working from home for our staff, so for many of them they are already used to it. Some even opt to work from home one or two days per week already.

With so much uncertainty and stress right now in the community, I think it’s important to make the changeover as easy and as stress free as possibly for our staff. Having the technology already in place and ready to go gives them one less thing to worry about during these times.