Property managers run buildings through site teams they rarely see. Here is how to staff them, record them and keep service steady when owners change.
A property management company runs buildings and communities on behalf of owners and associations: residential complexes, offices, retail centres and rental portfolios. Each building has a small on-site team of building managers, security, housekeeping, technicians and gardeners, and some are employed by the manager while others come through contractors. The company is paid a fee per property and answers to owners or committees who can change provider at the end of a contract. Day-to-day service depends on people the head office rarely meets, and a change of provider means a change of staff. See also HR for construction. What makes HR different here is that service is delivered by small teams spread across many sites, working for a client who is not the employer, so records, supervision and clear contract handovers matter more than size.
Who does the work
Teams are small and far from the office
A building's team of a few people is supervised by someone who visits occasionally.
Staff belong to different employers
Some are employed by the manager and some by contractors, with different terms working side by side.
Committees direct the staff
An owners' committee gives instructions that may conflict with the manager's, and staff are caught in between.
A takeover changes everyone
When a manager is replaced, the incoming company and the outgoing staff negotiate terms with little notice.
Billing depends on attendance
Staff presence is part of what owners pay for, and gaps become disputes.
Records are building by building
Each site keeps its own files, and the head office cannot see the whole.
Pay and conditions differ across sites
Similar roles earn different amounts depending on the building.
Appoint a clear line for each building
One named person responsible for each site, with limits on what the committee can instruct and a route for conflicts. The organisation design work sets the lines.
Keep one register of all staff on every site
Employees and contractors' workers, with employer, role and dates, in one list. The employee information management holds it.
Capture attendance at the gate or post
A record by person, post and shift that supports billing and answers a committee's question.
Prepare for takeovers and handovers
A checklist for taking on and handing over a building: staff list, terms, records and notice. The exit and offboarding process covers the handover steps.
Set a standard for terms
Role definitions and pay bands across sites, with differences explained. The compensation benchmarking work builds them.
Visit and listen
A supervisor schedule for each building, including evenings and weekends.
Confirm with a qualified professional. What applies to you depends on your business, your state and your arrangements, and it changes. This page describes practice. It does not state a legal position.
A clear line for each building and a rule for conflicts between the manager and the committee.
One register of everyone on every site, whoever employs them.
A handover process for taking on and giving up buildings.
Pay bands for site roles, so similar work is paid alike across buildings.
Every engagement starts by recording where you stand, and every later report compares against that. We do not promise outcomes. Start with the free HR Health Check, or see the paid HR Diagnostic.
From the GullyHR blog: one on HR in construction and real estate, and one on each of the topics this page points to.
A civil phase completed, a crew was released, and three weeks later the finishing phase started short. How construction and real estate businesses run HR for a workforce that moves between sites, projects and payrolls.
Read the articleA flat structure works until the founder becomes the only route to a decision. How to tell when you have passed that point, and how to redesign without a reorganisation.
Read the articlePayroll says one joining date, the personal file says another and the manager remembers a third. How to establish a single trustworthy employee record and keep it that way.
Read the articleMost salary structures grew one negotiation at a time. How to build grades and bands from what you already pay, without repricing everybody at once.
Read the articleMore on the GullyHR blog.
Through a regular visiting schedule, a named contact, simple attendance records and a route for concerns that does not depend on the committee. Distance weakens loyalty.
It depends on the contracts and the rules that apply, so confirm the position with a qualified professional, and use a takeover checklist to record the list, terms and notice.
Agree in the contract who can instruct staff and on what, and have a route for escalation. Staff should not have to choose.
Yes. A single register of who works on each site helps with safety, billing and handovers.
With bands for each role, adjusted where the work genuinely differs, and differences explained.
Attendance, deployment and sometimes verification. Keep them centrally and retrievable.
With a free HR Health Check.
Who employs whom, who may instruct the staff and on what, how conflicts are resolved and what happens on handover. Confirm the wording with a qualified professional.
Keep a site sheet for each building with routines, contacts and tasks, so a new person can start from the page rather than from memory.
See all HR topics for construction and real estate, or another industry.
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