How to Take Weekends and Holidays When You Own a Rent Roll

For many real estate agencies, the Christmas and New Year period is the perfect opportunity to close the office and enjoy a little bit of time off work.

But this is easier said than done!

I mean, our clients expect us to be available 24/7, so it can be hard to take an entire week away from the office without stressing everyone out.

When I owned my rent roll, I used to close the office for 2 weeks, turn the phone off, and avoid emails during that time.

But this requires careful planning and LOTS of communication!

So here are a few tips for getting to enjoy this much-needed break:

1. Let your clients know you’re closing the office.

Every time you contact your clients, remind them that your office will be closed during Christmas.

Educate them on what to do in the event of an emergency repair, how tenants are to pay their rent during this time, and when tend of month payments will be made.

I used to send an email/letter to all my tenants telling them exactly what was happening over this Christmas period.  If you’d like a copy of this letter click here to download my Christmas letter to tenants

Make sure you add your office closure details in your email signature, on any communication you send as well as sending this letter/email.

2. Organise your tradespeople.

Make sure all your tradespeople are prepared to handle emergency repairs during this period and know how to contact you if required.

I actually used to send a similar letter/email to my tradespeople, telling them what to do if they’re contacted in an emergency, so they had permission to go ahead with repairs, even if they couldn’t get in touch with me personally.

3. Change your voicemail.

This applies to your office phone and your mobile phone.

Change your voicemail so that it reminds your tenants and landlords are aware that your office is closed and how to handle emergencies during this time.

It’s up to you if you check this voicemail during the office closure period.

4. Turn your auto-responder on.

Use your email auto-responder to reply to all the emails you receive during the Christmas period reminding your tenants and landlords that you’ll respond to their emails when your office re-opens.

Whether you check your voicemails and email during this period is really up to you.

But, I’ve found that the less you check them, the more you’ll enjoy the holiday period, so make the most of it and enjoy the break – you deserve it!

5.  Use your software.

If you have automated maintenance software or have a chat bot that can handle maintenance requests for you, make sure you use it!

Seriously, you’ve worked hard this year, so enjoy the break!

Remember, if you’d like a copy of the letter I sent to my tenants click here to download my Christmas letter to tenants