| 99 PROPERTY Lodge City Rentals Tapping into Hamilton’s potential Lodge City Rentals operates out of two offices, one in Hamilton’s main street, Victoria Street, and just over the river, in Grey Street. Sue Russell General Manager of Lodge City Rentals, Hamilton, Jason Waugh is a proud Hamiltonian who believes the city has so much to offer, with plenty of exciting development attracting new business and people to its doors. Lodge City Rentals operates out of two offices, one in Hamilton’s main street, Victoria Street, and just over the river, that divides the town, in Grey Street, Hamilton-East. In all there’s a team of 30, property managers and administrative support staff. “We’re seeing a good increase in demand for rental accommodation given people are seeing the potential of the city and choosing to invest in rental property,” Jason says. He’s also the first to acknowledge it’s a tough industry not necessarily appreciated by the public for all that is entailed in delivering great service. “A great property manager is naturally a flexible person when it comes to dealing with people, they have to be. The ability to adapt would be the biggest attribute.” And as if to highlight this, Jason says his team are a broad range of all sorts of ages, personalities and experiences. His longest serving property manager has been in the industry and with the company 26 years. And one of the things the business helps provide the team is a career path, should they deliver the drive and determination to progress. All Lodge’s property managers are licensed which requires a thorough understanding of all the legislation governing tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities. “We operate a system where those new to the industry become assistant property managers, supporting an experienced property manager, while experiencing what the job is all about. We find it works really well.” Jason also feels that the decision 13 years ago by the Government to not include Property Management as a bonafide part of Real Estate was, and still is, a mistake. “The Property Management industry was deemed at the time not to form part of a real estate activity which makes absolutely no sense to me. “This is not a sector anyone can do well in, its requires real skills and a thorough understanding of all the laws impacting on the rental relationship and also the management of landlords investments and money.” Working really hard to define and demonstrate what great customers service is, is an important part of what makes Lodge City Rentals tick. All tenants are assessed and all selected on their merits, including rental history and references, the need for the property. Once this has happened the property manager assigned that contract will discuss fully with the owner the tenant options and collectively they make a decision on who to offer the rental to. Looking back Jason says the decision by Government to deregulate Property Management brought about an era of ‘dodgy operators’. In 2008, a body to oversee the sales industry was formed but property management was not deemed ‘real-estate activity’ enough to belong. “We saw Property Management companies at this time explode in number. People thought property management was an easy gig. We went from 7 or 8 companies to over 30. I’m really pleased to see that Government is now taking steps to licensing the property management sector and are currently taking submissions.” YOUR ELECTRICAL AND HEALTHY HOMES EXPERTS RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL NZ REGISTERED FAST & EFFICIENT WORK GUARANTEED 021 912 673 office@menzieselectrical.co.nz www.menzieselectrical.co.nz gfowke@ecoinsulation.co.nz 022 183 2767 www.ecoinsulation.co.nz waikato World-class Insulation solutions for NZ homes & buildings. Family Homes • Rentals • Commercial • New Builds Contact Gary Fowke 07 847 6020 • Repairs and maintenance • Blocked drains • Renovations • Gutter cleaning • Roofing repairs • Alterations and designs • Gas repairs and maintenance • Hot Water Cylinders installation and design See our Extensive Range of Plumbing Services in Hamilton 027 271 3831 greg@plumbit.co.nz
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=