| 121 PROPERTY South Town Property Management 35 Backing South Town Property Management with quality electrical services. amtmechanical & maintenance Partnering with South Town to meet their clients’ HVAC servicing & maintenance needs Christchurch | Dunedin | Invercargill | Web www.amtmech.co.nz | Phone 03 338 0145 T T Karen Phelps Keeping pace with a changing landscape South Town director Anita Voisey: “It’s been exciting for us to partner with new owners and their tenants.” “We have properties across hospitality, hotels and education, and we have noticed a big push into people buying industrial real estate and therefore new owners in that space.” Christchurch’s commercial property market has come a long way since the earthquakes with the city centre’s revitalisation now reshaping where businesses choose to locate and creating new opportunities for property owners and investors. For commercial property management company South Town, the changes reflect the natural cycle of a city rebuilding, growing and adapting to new patterns of commercial activity. “After the earthquakes lots of people moved out of the damaged city centre to relocate near the airport taking eight- to 10-year leases,” says South Town director Anita Voisey. “The revitalisation of the city centre coincided with many of these leases ending and coupled with lots of new buildings in the city centre many have now moved back.” She describes the current market as steady with activity continuing across a range of commercial property sectors. “We have properties across hospitality, hotels and education, and we have noticed a big push into people buying industrial real estate and therefore new owners in that space,” she says. For South Town this influx of new industrial property owners has created an opportunity to provide guidance as well as traditional property management. “It’s been exciting for us to partner with new owners and their tenants, walking them through their mutual obligations and ensuring they are getting the best out of their space,” she says. South Town’s services cover the practical and strategic aspects of commercial property management, from tenancy management and maintenance to compliance, risk management and long-term planning. Its local presence also means it can maintain regular contact with tenants, contractors and property owners, helping identify issues before they become costly problems. While the company manages commercial properties on behalf of landlords it also works closely with tenants, recognising that the two interests are closely connected. “The way we like to operate is to be there to support the landlord in growing their portfolio and the tenants in growing their business,” she says. She says landlord and tenant expectations continue to lift as technology improves. “For this reason, we have developed bespoke reporting tools for our compliance management ensuring our owners have quality information on their investment’s growth and progression. Likewise, our tenant communications need to keep pace with changing communication styles. Again, we are embracing new technologies to embed this without losing the personal touch that we believe sets us apart.” South Town was founded in Christchurch in 2018, growing out of the city’s post-earthquake rebuild. “I was working with some developers who had a strong passion for the rebuild of the city centre and were taking as-is and heritage buildings and developing them. I was assisting with the construction administration and then they needed someone to manage the now leased properties, so South Town was born,” she says. Having seen some of those properties progress from rubble to completed buildings, Anita says she feels a strong tie. “I look around the city now and see those buildings and I feel a connection to them and the satisfaction of seeing them developed,” she says. That history is central to South Town’s approach. “We are a boutique local company that is passionate about Christchurch and grew out of the rebuild of the city,” says Anita. “Our personal touch and ability to have strong and lasting relationships with our clients sets us apart.”
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