WHAT IT IS AND FUNCTIONS OF A PROPERTY MANAGER

The property manager is an important figure in the management of homeowner communities.

The management of a community is a complex issue, that is the reason why most communities today choose to leave it in the hands of qualified professionals.

According to the Horizontal Property Law and the Urban and Rural Leasing Law, the property manager is in charge of managing the common elements of the communities of owners.

WHAT IS 

It is a professional specialized in the management of rural and urban properties. who will act either by the decision of a community of owners or could also be by that of a private owner.

In a community of owners there are many tasks to be done for the proper running, such as managing incidents and repairs, keeping community accounts, advising owners, convening, attending meetings, as well as minutes, etc. Therefore, it is very common for a qualified professional to perform these functions. Hence, the figure of property administrator is normally associated with the management of a community of owners.

Usually, Property Administrator is related to the Community of Owners on behalf of several owners , but there is also the possibility of acting on behalf of one of the owners.

FUNCTIONS OF A PROPERTY MANAGER

The work carried out by property administrators is very extensive, according to th art. 20 of the LPH (Horizontal Property Law) the obligations would be:

⇒   Ensure the good management, the facilities and services, and this to be issued, the appropriate warnings to the owners.

⇒   Prepare in advance the expected budget and costs and notice to the Board the plan of foreseeable expenses,proposing the necessary means to meet them.

⇒   Look after the conservation , arranging repairs and urgent issues, reporting immediately to the president or to the owners.

⇒   Carring out the agreements adopted and making and getting payments stipulated.

⇒  Act, as secretary of the Board and keep the community documentation available to the owners.

⇒   All other responsabilities granted by the Board.

IS IT MANDATORY A PROPERTY MANAGER?

The the Horizontal Property Act does not state the figure of the property administrator, neither altogether nor individually.

There are many communities in which the president of the community is who carries out all the maqnagement in the administration of community, even there are a designated team helping and each one carrying out a part of the work.

The Horizontal Property Law says that "the functions of secretary and administrator will be exercised by the president of the community, unless the statutes or meeting of owners by majority agreement provide for the provision of said positions separately from the presidency."

In small communities it is quite usual the president to be in charge, although it is recommended to have a collegiated professional, who in addition to all the knowledge, is supported by an insurance covering any incident it could be in the face of the community.

ADVANTAGES OF HAVING A PROPERTY MANAGERS

 A property manageroffers large advantages to the community, and can be the difference between a good or bad management:

  • Technical and legal knowledge:They are updated with legislation and jurisprudence, which means they can provide appropriate advice to avoid legal problems.
  • Experience and professionalism:The more experience they have, the better solutions they can apply to day-to-day problems that may arise.
  • Quality guarantee:Quality guarantee: Being a member of a collegated association, it is guaranteed that all will be done under the quality and ethical standards established.
  • Civil liability insurance:The collegiated property managers have a civil liability insurance covering any incident or damage that may occur in the running of their work, thus protecting the community of owners.
  • Access to resources and services:They have access to a wide network of resources, services and collaborators that can be very useful to improve community management.