Solve Condo Property Management Challenges With Key Control Technology

Managing condominiums is no easy feat, and it requires exceptional attention to detail. Condo property management companies have to navigate numerous challenges, including employee turnover, maintenance delays, and resident communication issues. But the right tools and strategies make all the difference. Electronic key control can help you tackle the challenges you face by streamlining condo operations. Here’s how:

Prevent Staff Turnover From Creating Security Risks

In a survey about property management challenges, respondents ranked staffing as the top challenge out of 13. With anecdotal accounts of condo managers experiencing workplace disrespect and even harassment, it’s no wonder they don’t want to stick around.

Unfortunately, high turnover can lead to security mistakes, such as failing to control access to master keys. If you’re struggling to retain property managers, follow these steps to improve security:

• Use a key control system to secure keys. The system will help prevent unauthorized access to keys and provide a clear record of who’s checked out keys and when.
• Document your procedures. Having written policies helps new or temporary managers stick to your key control guidelines. An electronic key control system can help enforce those policies by controlling who can use which keys, tracking overdue keys, and sending security reports to regional managers.
• Regularly review who has access to each key. Restricting key access to authorized users helps to prevent key misuse. When employees leave, don't forget to disable their key access.

While there isn’t a concrete solution for employee turnover, key control can help you avoid jeopardizing security at the properties you manage.

Integrate Key Control and Work Order Tracking

It’s important to stay on top of maintenance and repairs to maintain property values and keep homeowners happy. Unfortunately, with staff turnover, vendor response times, and supply shortages, it’s easy for these tasks to fall through the cracks.

Tracking work order statuses electronically helps you ensure projects are progressing. Plus, if a manager leaves, board members and the new manager will have an electronic trail to pick up where the previous manager left off.

There are a couple options for tracking work orders:

• Electronic Key Control System: Using your electronic key control system allows property managers to manage keys and work orders all in one place. When contractors or vendors need access to various areas of the property to complete their work, managers can give them access to specific keys and track who’s checked them out and when. This not only helps prevent keys from being lost or stolen but also gives you oversight of who’s accessing the property at any given time.
• Property Management Software: Property management software is a popular option for tracking work orders, especially for larger condo communities. If you prefer to track work orders with your property management software, consider integrating it with your key control system to keep data current across both platforms. This will help employees avoid the hassle of double-entering data, which can be both time-consuming and prone to errors. By having key status and work order details in one central location, staff can easily monitor maintenance tasks in one place.

No matter which method you use, having a high-level view of work order and key access history can help property managers stay on top of maintenance.

Be Transparent About Key Access

Transparent communication with owners and residents is crucial for a successful property management firm. Just as homeowners have the right to review the condo association’s financials, they should be able to review the key log to see who’s accessed their home. When you have an automatic key log, you can ensure you have a verifiable record of key access. As an added layer of transparency, you can set up the key control system to send residents a notification when the key to their home is checked out.

By prioritizing key security, tracking work orders, and maintaining transparent communication with owners, you can successfully navigate the industry’s unique challenges.