Curbing Rising Operating Expenses for Multifamily Property Owners

At Atlas Real Estate, operating expenses have increased 3 percent across our portfolio since the beginning of the pandemic. What were some of our biggest expenses? In short, costs related to showings and marketing.

Mandates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shifted our operations to primarily off site over the past two years. As a result, we moved into the realm of virtual property management as digital showings, digital staging, and virtual walkthroughs significantly increased. These digital leasing and management services required new monthly subscription services that weren’t needed prior to the pandemic.

Craft new solutions

To start reducing operating expenses, we implemented a cost-control program focused heavily on leveraging the proper technology for the proper function, while closely scrutinizing our existing tech solutions. Since many of the multifamily platforms now offer similar products/ services, which wasn’t the case a year ago, we consolidated some platforms and reduced costs. We are utilizing the most advanced version of the AppFolio software, which includes more robust features and requires less overhead in the form of personnel.

We paired this solution with other plugins to boost our output, response time and lead generation, thus assisting our property managers in maximizing their time, resulting in the need for fewer employees. Additionally, some administrative tasks have been sent offshore and synchro- nized with the project management software Monday.com, resulting in seamless property management assistance at a discount.

Don’t sacrifice resident happiness

Balancing reduced operating costs with efficient resident service remains challenging for some multifamily operators in the current economic environment. But residents should always come first. Focusing on resident retention/lease extensions is one way we have kept both our owners and residents smiling. Some property management companies forget that while the owner may be their client, the resident is their customer. Since we make resident retention our highest priority, our expenses have slightly increased, but our collections, vacancy and retention numbers have outperformed most other property managers in our market.

During the pandemic-induced economic downturn, we kept our income higher than most property management companies because we only receive payment when our owner receives payment (and not if they have outstanding collections or vacancies). Even though our expenses were a bit higher, our net income did not suffer.

Resident relations should not be a direct function of operating costs. Instead, they should be an intrinsic part of high-touch customer service, a caring company and a team committed to excellence, their resident’s needs, and a respectful workplace.

Establish goals to control operating expenditure

Initial goal setting is one of the best practices for controlling operating expenses, while still maintaining the property and keeping residents happy. For instance, if keeping residents happy is your goal, you need to take a hard look at how your residents are being treated.

Providing white-glove customer service and making residents happy should always be part of the operating expenditure-reduction equation, which is ostensibly a fine balancing act.

However, resident happiness does not need to come at an accelerated cost. It should come from a deliberate intention — or choice — at the highest corporate level. Operators should choose to honor their residents and believe that they are the lifeblood of their community.

Treating people with respect and dignity and helping them when they need it is what keeps occupancy high and residents happy. The apartment is only one half of the equation — customer service is the other half. Resident happiness and long-term retention occur when owners and operators are good to their residents.