3 Best Practices for Condo Management Complaint Resolution

Condo management is a multifaceted service. A condo management professional is part financial advisor, part building maintenance person, and, as we discuss today, part community conflict resolution coach.

In this post, we discuss the interpersonal part of condo management, and offer 3 tips to help track and resolve resident conflicts and complaints.

Why are condo community conflicts so common?

Condo living is a great way of life, but condo community conflicts are quite common due to the diverse groups sharing the same living space. Some of these groups are less compatible than others: your single, 25-year old tenant will have very different noise, lifestyle, and living expectations than the married elderly couple next door. When these two disparate demographics shack up next door to one another, problems can arise!

What are the most common complains condo management has to deal with?

Condo owners, investors, and board members swear by our conflict resolution services in large part because they’re so common! We have a proven track record of success with conflict resolution, which allows owners, investors, and board members to maintain their focus on other duties.

These are some of the complaints that your condo management team is forced to deal with on a daily basis:

• Noise complaints from loud music, exercise equipment, or social gatherings
• Maintenance follow-ups
• Complaints regarding the misuse of shared spaces and facilities
• Requests for financial information or statements
• Special assessment charges
• Requests for greater communication with condo board members
• Complaints regarding condo fees
• Complaints regarding pets

How does condo management handle these complaints?

Once the first complaint is filed, condo management will enter it into their records. Keeping records in this way ensures that the complaint will be addressed, and gives condo management a concrete date to refer to if a follow-up request is submitted. This “paper trail” gives peace of mind to residents and helps the condo management team stay organized.

Though every condo management company will operate according to their unique brand vision and company ethics, Mareka Properties (2000) Ltd recommends the following 3 best practices:

• Develop complaint processing standards. Your condo management may way to provide tenants with formal complaint forms, or simply log them in a shared notebook. For larger condo communities, we recommend a formalized process, as relying on a disorganized complaint log book – or worse: chance encounters with condo management in the hallways – is an inefficient system.

• Create a spreadsheet or logbook to track conflict or complaint resolution. Organize complaints based on resident names, complaint categories, and reporting dates. This will help you track your conflict and complaint resolution more effectively. If a resident follows up, being able to refer back to a detailed log book will be very useful, and will increase their confidence in your condo management skills.

• Emphasize transparency with residents and board members when property complaints arise. Keep your residents and board members in the loop about all maintenance issues and property repairs. This will increase their confidence in your condo management abilities, as well as increasing their understanding and acceptance of condo fees.

You can learn more about our condo management and conflict resolution services by visiting http://www.marekapm.com/condo-property-management/.