Sometimes, certain business relationships just aren’t a good fit—that’s okay. The beauty of business connections is that they are primarily tied to how much sense they make for your company. Property management companies are a great example of this. But how do you switch property management companies smoothly?
We break down the answer below in 4 easy steps.
1. How to Switch Property Management Companies: Do Your Research
Chances are if you want to switch to a new property manager or property management company you probably want to find someone or some business that’s actually better than the one you are currently with.
This is when it really pays to do your research.
A good way of doing this is by looking online at which locations are being managed by which property management companies. You could even go for a drive and make note of the properties that look the best maintained and well kept, and looking into who is managing those.
Of course, referrals from trusted friends, family, or other valued business connections are also an incredibly good way of finding out what property management company it makes sense to switch to.
Once you’ve narrowed your list down, make sure to reach out to them and set up and time and day you can discuss and ask them any questions you may have about how they would manage your commercial property. By doing so, you’ll also find out their pricing and what services you can get through them as well.
2. Look Over Your Current Business Agreement or Contract
Make sure to review your current business agreement with the property management company you are with currently. There may be stipulations regarding how to end the agreement. If you’re really unhappy with the current property management company you’re with, it might just be worth it to terminate it as soon as possible as opposed to hanging on until a more “convenient” time which might be a detriment to you and your company.
That being said, for some contracts, it may not be worth it to terminate them immediately and a better course of action might just be to let them expire.
3. Contact Your Current and Prospective Property Management Company
Whether you choose to let it expire or want to end your agreement as soon as possible, you do need to let your current property management company know that you’re no longer going to be using their services.
It’s also a good idea to draft an official document that says why you’re terminating services with them and the date you want your services to end (if applicable).
4. Check in on Your New Property Management Company Once You’ve Signed up With Them
Once you’ve signed up with a new company make sure to do regular check-ins to make sure the appropriate property management tasks are getting done. You may even want to schedule ongoing dates that you’ll be checking in on your properties.
As you can see, changing property management companies isn’t complicated. However, we recommend getting in touch with your current property management company before you decide to end your services with them. There may some miscommunication as to what’s expected or maybe they can provide a higher level of service in accordance with your needs. If you’ve done that already though with any resolution, then it’s time to move on and switch to a new property management company that offers a better deal and business relationship.