The BIGGEST worry, many agencies have about outsourcing their inspections

This article has been provided by our sister company, Inspection Ninjas.

At Inspection Ninjas, we have found that there are a few different things that concern Principals and Business Owners when considering using an “outsider” to conduct inspections of properties their agency has under management.

Naturally, data security is right up there at the top of their list of and so it should be.  As real estate agents, we are privy to quite a bit of very private information that we wouldn’t want to fall into the wrong hands.

Another biggie is the expense of bringing in someone else to do inspections. The margins in a Property Management Department are not huge and in many instances, somebody has already been paid to do the job (so frustrating).  And if there has been a bit of turnover in the team, well… you know yourself, those recruitment fees are a killer! 

But the biggest fear, the one that stops many clients from utilising the services of an inspection company, is the worry that THEIR CLIENTS WILL FIND OUT. 

Not because all their clients have explicitly told them they don’t ever want someone outside of the agency doing a routine inspection or completing an entry condition report at their property.  

Their concern is that the client will somehow think less of them, particularly when there has been lots of change in the office and clients are feeling a little unsettled. 

Sure there are always going to be some owners who are a little more antsy than others about what is going on in their property. We find these personality types are pretty easy to spot - they will often have some trust issues with every aspect of the management of their property and will generally want to attend the inspection themselves anyway.

But those clients tend to be in the minority.  

As long as the job is getting done (inspections are one of the most valued property management tasks in a client’s eyes), most owners are not worried about who is actually doing the work.  

In our experience, the more transparent an agency is about who physically visited the property, the less dramas they have (if any). 

After all, property owners don’t expect you to fix a leaking tap or faulty light switch yourself.  What they do expect you to do though, is engage the services of an appropriately qualified someone who will do the work required properly and for the agency, as their representative, to be across it. 

At Inspection Ninjas, we have some agencies that simply love sharing with both their owners and tenants that they are engaging “Ninjas” to conduct their inspections.  As you can imagine, these agencies have quite a relaxed tone that they use when communicating with their clients. Their brand is often a little more offbeat than traditional agencies.

Others will use words like “our Inspections Specialist” or “the Inspections Officer” - something along those lines. A little more neutral if you like.

And from our end, we always say “we work alongside” or are “assisting” the agency with their inspections, depending upon the approach the agency would like us to take.

But the approach we have found that definitely doesn’t work… 

When an agency or a property manager tries to hide the fact they did not physically visit the property themselves.  It comes across as a little sneaky and clients are quick to pick up on any perceived deception.

This is why we encourage property managers to always review the inspection report our Ninjas have prepared before sending it on to their owners and to reach out to us before they press send, if they have any questions.

If you are curious about how putting a Ninja in the field could assist your team and would like to find out a little more about how we do things, please reach out to me, Terri (aka Ninja Master) on 0427 921 488 or book in a time to chat here

I can run you through how we protect your data, why our services might not be as expensive as you think and any other questions or concerns you may have.