The hilarious hazard that comes with being a property manager

There are a lot of things a property manager sees on the job but there’s one hilarious moment that sticks in Hayman Partners’ team member Christine Pfeiffer’s mind.

“Occasionally you knock on a door for an inspection and there’s no answer – but you can tell there’s someone home,” Christine explains.

“So you’ll be knocking and yelling – hello? Is anyone home? And moving through the rooms of the house until you get to the bedroom and of course – there they are – in bed asleep.

“You scare the hell out of them – and they end up scaring the hell out of you!

“On one occasion there was a tenant sleeping, lying stark naked on the bed. He was out cold – so I just backed out quickly and rescheduled the inspection. It was beyond awkward.”

It’s a small hazard in a job that Christine feels like she was “born for”. 

About to enter her 12th year as a property manager, Christine loves the variety of the role and describes it as a position that has “huge satisfaction. You can’t beat it.”

The daughter of a builder, a young Christine would trail after her dad John on building sites across the capital, asking a tonne of questions and offering her services as a mini apprentice. By age eight, she knew more about the construction of a house than most people do in their lifetime.

It’s part of the reason she’s an exceptional property manager. Christine knows the make up of a house intimately, and dealing with tradies is her favourite part of the job.

“It sounds bizarre but actually working on the maintenance side of things I just love,” Christine says.

“Nothing makes me happier than receiving a call for help from a tenant, and dealing with a landlord and a tradie to get it sorted quickly.”

She knows find a hard-working property manager with attention to detail is rare in modern times. But her advice to landlords looking for someone to manage their property is to look for three very specific things.

“Ask to meet your property manager upfront so you know exactly who’ll you be working with and speaking to moving forward,” she says.

“And look for life experience. Someone who knows the art of having a tough conversation if it’s required – is going to be an amazing manager of your asset.

“The other thing to ask for is their average turnaround time for getting maintenance addressed. You need a manager who’ll work with a sense of urgency.”

After more than a decade working with tenants and landlords – and the occasional tradie – what keeps Christine inspired to come in to the Hayman Partners office every day?

“Each day’s the same but also very different,” she says. “It’s hard to explain.

“But I get out and about in a city I love, meet new people and ultimately problem solve – for me, it’s the perfect combination.”

We’d love to manage your property. You can request a free rental appraisal here or contact business development manager Emily Kelly on 0491 229 766.