In-Housing Services – Is it Worth it?

As a property manager, you’re always looking for the best ways to save money and be efficient with your time. Budgets, however, can be stressful which can make you feel like in-housing janitorial and security services are the cheaper way to go. While you may think you’re making things easier by not outsourcing, here are a few things you may want to consider before you take on any in-house services.

Hiring the Right People

Finding the right people requires a process that involves a lot of hats. This requires lots of research, weeding through resumes, taking the time to interview each individual, and finding great employees that will help elevate and enhance your property. The benefit in outsourcing services is that you won’t need to worry about this process. There are service companies that have dedicated recruitment teams that look for professionals that can deliver excellent customer service and apply their expert knowledge and skills toward your property.

Coverage and Overtime Nightmares

What happens when you’ve got an employee calling out sick and their back-up is away for the weekend? Do you hire someone brand new right on the spot? Can you step in and become the concierge or janitor for the day? Do you even have the resources to find someone to replace them that quickly?

While issues can come up every day, it’s important to remember that the world keeps spinning. The last thing you want to be doing is scrambling to find coverage for a no-show employee. This alone can take up an immense amount of your time and can include lots of stress as well. Also, managing and paying out overtime hours can be very costly. Considering all the headaches that can come with coverage and overtime, using outsourced service companies can take the burden off your hands. These companies take on the responsibilities of payroll and scheduling which can free up your time as well as your budget.

Oversight and Supervision

Employing in-house service staff means a certain level of time and attention will be required to manage them. Remember, as a property manager, you’re there for the residents and not necessarily all the employees on site. With so many tasks already on your plate, oversight and supervision can quickly fill your entire schedule. Leave this task to the outsourcing professionals and be productive with your time by focusing on other priorities.

The best property managers are those who know how to delegate and use their time wisely. It’s important to be aware of some of these aspects before attempting to do it yourself. It’s pretty clear that in-housing services can be a bigger burden than you may think!