1. Advantages in using Harcourts Commercial Property Management Services.

Our Commercial Property Management Team has extensive experience in the management of commercial property and have a proven track record of adding value to our clients assets through:

1) Efficient management and maintenance.
2) Achieving market rentals.
3) Maximising recoverable outgoings.
4) Minimising risk and
5) Ensuring landlords compliance obligations are met.

Having determined an investment strategy with each client we can then set about achieving the goals within a defined period. For example, we may seek to raise current rents to market within a 2 year period (as rent review periods allow) and at the same time work to a budget to tidy up deferred maintenance, to increase the overall market value of the property by 20%.

Many commercial property owners do not understand that our management fee is in most cases recoverable under operating expenses. If the fee isn’t fully recoverable initially we can work towards 100% recovery over a reasonable period.

2. Comprehensive Service

Our service extends to commercial, industrial, retail property and body corporate management from small suburban retail shops to multi-storey commercial office buildings and multi-unit residential apartment buildings.

3. Unusual Complaints

In organising contracts for building maintenance, tenants will now and then complain about tradespeople. On one occasion a tenant emailed complaints that a window cleaner had atrocious body odour and should not be allowed back on the premises. The tenant’s staff apparently left all windows open for an hour after the cleaner left the building.

We generally find pets in buildings are better behaved than certain tenants! One tenant in a multi-storey apartment building managed to lock himself out on his balcony, lose his keys firstly down the lift shaft, then in the rubbish skip, write-off a vehicle in the carpark, and lose control of his bladder in the carpark, lift and foyer all within 18 months!
I’m pleased to say he is now happily married with a family, lives in the suburbs and is a tee totaller!

4. Management Responsibilities

The 5 main categories are:-

1) Lease management.
2) Building Management and maintenance.
3) Operating Expense Management and recovery.
4) Investment Reporting – monthly and at year end.
5) Strategic Compliance.

We remove the burden of management for the owner but also provide the tenants with a comprehensive service to deal with maintenance, compliance, and lease matters promptly as they arise.

I find tenants have no objection to paying a market rent for their premises if they are well maintained and improved over time. After all – they spend a good deal of their time at work and their work environment can have a negative or positive effect on their attitude and productivity. Tenant’s abandon “sinking ships” as I call them – buildings which are poorly maintained and managed on an ad-hoc basis.

5. Building Compliance

The rules and regulations surrounding the management, maintenance and compliance of buildings continues to expand at an alarming rate.

We as managers are dealing with existing and new legislation on a daily basis and are perfectly placed to deal with specialist consultants, contractors and the local authorities in an efficient manner, which eliminates the risk to the building owner while minimizing compliance costs.

6. Efficient Management

Because we have a portfolio of over 60 buildings in Canterbury we have the buying power to secure extremely competitive maintenance and service contracts with consultants and contractors, while achieving top service levels. Savings are reflected in our operating expense budgets and benefit both tenants and owners.

We continually review price and service levels from service providers to ensure established relationships do not become too comfortable or inefficient.

Most astute investors now realise the specialist nature and value of professional building management and the potential that comprehensive management has to enhance the value of a building while allowing the owner to concentrate on their career, business planning or the next holiday – which ever they do best!