I like a mixure of both—Think they call that the pod method where you have a set number of property managers looking after a certain number of properties. Each of those property managers work together and can do all tasks if need be but may do certain ones only and report back to the others in the group. With this method there is generally one person that speaks mainly to landlords or tenants but the others can step in if need be and discuss any aspect of the tenancy. This way property managers generally do the areas that they are better suited to most of the time but they also know what is going on with the whole tenancy.

With portfolio you can end up with property managers doing tasks that they don’t like or don’t suit their stregnths.

With task you can have a disjointed tenancy where no-one really know fully what is happening in all areas

Margaret www.dmrealty.com.au

I’ve worked in all three modes, task/portfolio/hybrid. Have to say I am really happy that I started in task for a large, well managed office with a big rent roll. I was able to cycle through each department and learn the ropes over a couple of years. BUT then I got bored and felt that there was a ceiling that I couldn’t break through in that environment. So I moved to a portfolio position in another office – all the stories I had heard about portfolios being a mess and things being swept under the rug, missed, hidden all turned out to be true in that office. After a couple of months of hard work it was all under control though and I cut my work week down to 4 days from 5 and pretty much put my feet up….Now currently working in a hybrid style environment. I don’t do any lettings, routines or new business. As we are still in the transition from task to hybrid I find most of the day is spent with client contact, planning and implementation of new systems.

My favourite so far as an employee? Definetely portfolio. Suits my personality.

What I would do as a business owner? Hybrid. Purely because every PM has their strengths and weaknesses and each should be used to the best of their ability.

I have done both portfolio and task. I have to admit, when i was first working as a property manager (not just property officer), i loved portfolio. I loved the idea that i had my own landlords and tenants and i knew exactly what happened. I think it made things also very easy for landlords and tenants as they knew who to speak to whenever they called.

Our office only had a very small Property Management Dept and i suggested we shake things up a little and move to a task based system but that we ‘switch’ each month so we dont get stuck doing the same thing. We tried it for a few months but we just couldnt make it work. At the time i thought it wasnt working because the other PM and the principal didnt want it to. But then i left that company and worked for a purely task based department. I hated it! It was confusing, no one knew who they needed to speak to as the person showing them through/signing them up/doing repairs, etc were all different!

I’m now working in a kind of hybrid set up. Where i have a substantial portfolio that i manage, i have a property officer (who i share with another PM) who does leasing inspections/process applications and any paperwork i dont have time to. And we have a senior PM who does all new business and handles any ‘difficult’ tenancies.

After my experiences in the different set ups, i definately believe either portfolio or hybrid is the only way to go!

This one is so interesting as I’m working on a recruitment, retention and structure advanced training session as we speak!

I was talking to a wonderful recruitment specialist who believes that Portfolio is the only way to go – her thoughts were, most good PM’s want to know what’s happening with the whole portfolio and don’t like working in a task based system.  That seems to ring true.  I personally liked POD, but having said that, I was in a POD system when I was the manager, not as a PM.  I definitely liked Portfolio as a PM and I only liked task because I was new and was working with leasing. 

I actually lost a PM going to the POD system because she found it boring to do just routines/maintenance etc, and that was interesting in itself as we were getting most complaints from her portfolio and I believed that her personality/circumstances (she could only work a few days per week) actually suited a pod style system as I could help and oversee her part. 

It seems as Managers, we all like POD or Task.  Having seen a lot of offices now, I personally think it just depends on KPI’s and monitors that we set.  If we set and monitor enough, we can control/oversee any aspect – then it just comes down to are the right people working in your company? If the answer is no, then I believe no system is going to work better than another. 

I have worked all 3, and remain a fan of the POD. I think that it is definitely the way towards higher performing departments.

Why? Simply because it separates the more sales based roles of Leasing and New Business from the more Process and Management oriented roles of running the tenancy from start to finish.

I think it leaves the Lessor in a compromised position if the structure isn’t right, with the potential to have someone handling something such as leasing who does not have the appropriate skillset to maximise yield and minimse vacancy. Or vice versa, to have someone handling the ongoing management that perhaps has a more sales skilled oriented skillset.

Excluding POD, if I had to rank them, I think Portfolio runs second, with Task based coming in 3rd. Portfolio has the advantage of minimsing the points of contact for the Lessor, and building a stronger client/manager relationship. Bad for the Principal though if a Portfolio manager is not pulling their weight, with no cross-checking from other staff as would happen in Task based.

Task based is easier to manage from a Principals or Seniors point of view, because there is that cross-checking of performance among team members. But I think Clients don’t like it, as it inevitably leads to the “who is managing my property??” question with so many points of contact, and I don’t really think it is a favourite among staff due to the boredom and monotony factor.

I did work once under a slight variation which worked quite well – had a leasing person handling all the letting and vacancy management. Had myself handling all the beginning and mid tenancy stuff, maintenance, routines and Owner correspondence. Then had a lady doing just vacates, essentially the “end of tenancy” stuff, because woudld you believe it, she really LOVED vacates, so we were happy to accommodate. I found that worked really well, if you can find someone who loves vacates – haha.

Regards, Brock

Hello all

Out of the 3 choices Portfolio, POD, and task based systems how any properties can each system manage?

I have only worked in a Portfolio based company and found that 100 to 120 properties was the max to give good customer service

How many staff do you need for a POD and how many properties can they manage? Are the numbers the same as portfolio

EG 3 Pm doing Portfolio Based can manage around 300 to 350 properties  

Can POD or Task do more properties?

I know it’s based on the PMS and the staff you have but let’s say all things are even.

Thanks for the help

Hi Russell,

I really think structure has less to do with how many properties can be managed by staff than other variables like:

* Geography – how far they are spread out, and the travel time involved will have a huge bearing on how many properties can be effectively managed by a staff member

* Types of property – Some require a lot of maintenance. Some less so – units normally require less than houses, but have the added issue of dealing with body corporates

* Types of tenants (and owners) – some demographics are more labour intensive than others….

* Software and systems for managing properties and contacts – some are more efficient and powerful than others.

* length of tenancy – most work comes when people move in and move out of properties.

The best property manager in the country will be able to manage far less properties than an average property manager if they are spread widely, require lots of maintenance, turn over tenancies often, and have very demanding tenants and/or owners.

If you are looking for a structure to grow your business – I’d suggest starting doing the growth and management yourself, up to say 50 properties. Then put on a trusted portfolio manager to do the property management, and do the Growth and Leasing side of things yourself. Next point would probably be 150 or so properties when you may consider putting on either an Assistant PM, or starting a new Portfolio up in order to continue growing – otherwise you will start to get bogged down yourself.

I think the main issue with running a Task structure effectively is communication – and the quality of notes, and follow-up that staff members are inputting. This structure misses out on being able to have an understanding of the wider issues that may be relevant to the property, tenancy or client.

Hope that is of some help…

Regards, Brock