How do you choose the right property manager?

Excessive fees, a lack of responsiveness, or poor communication... there are many reasons why you might want to change your property management company. But one question remains on the minds of co-owners: how do you choose the right new manager? Here are a few answers.

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Changing property managers: revoke first!

Before we get into how to choose the right property manager, it is important to know if you can change them and how to go about it!

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Revoking a property management contract used to be a tedious process. Fortunately, since the ELAN law was passed, that is no longer the case. It appears that the president of the co-ownership council has been granted more authority.

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A single request to your property manager is now sufficient to revoke their mandate. You simply need to call into question any service stipulated in the contract that was not properly performed (a missed visit, an unwritten report, etc.). If the manager wishes to contest the revocation, it is then up to them to take the matter to court and prove it is illegitimate. However, revocations are quite rare. In fact, most co-owners who are dissatisfied with their manager wait for the general meeting to simply not renew the current contract and elect a new one.

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Depending on the contract you signed with your property manager, its renewal will be voted on at a general meeting every 1, 2, or 3 years. Be aware that since the ALUR law, the co-ownership council is required to put the property manager up for competitive bidding every time their contract is renewed.

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Finally, your property manager may also decide to resign, which will force the general meeting of co-owners to appoint a new one, whether professional or volunteer. In any case, changing property managers must be voted on at a general meeting.

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How do you choose a new property manager?

In general, there aren't really "good" or "bad" property managers. If your manager hasn't satisfied you for various reasons, it is quite likely that you simply didn't choose the one that best fits your needs.

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Indeed, we generally distinguish between "small" and "large" management firms. While large firms are used to managing many units, they also have higher base prices than smaller firms. The advantage is that most of them have more staff as well as greater material and technical resources. Large firms are therefore expected to guarantee greater responsiveness when needed.

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Unfortunately, this theory is often not borne out in practice. On the contrary, we find that even with fewer resources, small firms are generally more responsive than large ones. In a small firm, your satisfaction becomes a priority because they have fewer clients.

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Ultimately, every firm has its own specificities. Regardless of size, it is their skills and expertise that determine the quality of their services. To help you find the manager that best suits you, there are many platforms, such as Duflair.com, which compares management offers to help you select the one best suited to your building's needs. The advantage of this startup is that it compares not only prices but also the quality of service provided by each manager.

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Who can be elected as a property manager?

For the management of your building, you can hire a professional manager to benefit from a minimum level of expert service. However, it is also entirely possible to appoint a non-professional manager to handle the building's administration. This manager can very well be one of the co-owners of the building, which is often the case. Indeed, Law No. 65-557 of July 10, 1965, which establishes the status of co-ownership for built properties, allows for this possibility. Furthermore, this service is not necessarily free and can be compensated in various ways. A volunteer manager can, for example, be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred and receive compensation for the time spent managing the property.