This is my second article in the series "A Day in the Life of ...." for various positions in the Property management field.
Today we will look at an Apartment Complex Manager. Apartment complexes are most commonly managed by larger Property Management companies who, in turn, hire individual managers to operate each of the facilities in behalf of their clients (the actual owners). Sometimes you will find an individual owner (investor) who hires on-site managers directly, but normally that's not the case. Usually the owners are investment companies, such as insurance firms...and the like; who simply don't have the time nor the expertise to recruit, hire, train and maintain staffing of on-site mangers.
In my time as an apartment manager, I have had the opportunity to work for both types.....among them were: an individual owner of a small 36 apartment complex; and a 135 unit complex for a property management company which was handling dozens of complexes for multiple client/owners.
Generally, the ones run by property management companies are run much more smoothly with tried and true methods normally in place and already operating; whereas the individual owner may be somewhat more inexperienced as to what policies to setup and what expectations there will be.
As in many property management positions.....the bigger the company you work for, the more rigid are the rules and procedures. The smaller the company, the more you are expected to handle things by yourself.... and so your time spent working often becomes excessive.
The main thing to be aware of, however, in apartment complex management is...... the "type" of clientele you have at the property. Do you have younger residents (say, a nearby college with many students); or perhaps many military families (usually near a base); or are they older residents as in a senior living complex? The number and type of issues you have to deal with will be GREATLY affected by just what type of clientele you have. It will dictate the frequency of domestic squabbles, "party-ing disturbances, maintenance problems, rent collection matters and the whole range of issues that YOU as Apartment Manger will have to handle.
So, if I had ONE piece of advice to give.....it would be to, FIRST, seriously consider what "clientele-type" of apartment complex you would want to manage; and then to look at how big of a complex AND how big of a company you want to manage for.
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