A quick hello and nabbing a couple of pamphlets at an REIQ conference was the start of an incredible working relationship between Laura Valenti, Co-Principal (Property Management) at McGrath North Lakes, REIQ Board Director, and the Tenancy Skills Institute.
Laura shares, “I thought to myself, anything that helps tenants to better communicate with us as property managers and to understand we’re there to help tenants as well, was a really good idea. A novel idea, in fact, as I had never heard of it before.”
After the initial chat, the Tenancy Skills Institute team followed up with Laura a couple of weeks later. During these initial meetings, Laura resonated with the Tenancy Skills Institute’s philosophy.
She says, “What really pricked our ears was that the Tenancy Skills Institute team wanted to create a good environment for tenants and property managers to work together, and better. I loved that!”
As Laura and the McGrath North Lakes team shared more about their busy days as property managers, managing an extensive rent roll with multiple stakeholders and legislative requirements, the Tenancy Skills Institute team gained a deeper understanding of this fast-paced profession in the real estate industry.
Similarly, as Laura and the team learned more about the Tenancy Skills Institute’s place within our parent organisation, inCommunity Inc., a not-for-profit organisation supporting people at risk of or experiencing homelessness since 1982, they gained insights into the importance of sustaining tenancies from a community sector perspective.
Laura says, “We have a new understanding, especially since the housing crisis has revved up. If a tenant has to vacate, we think to ourselves, where is that tenant going to go? Or, if a tenant is late with their rent, we now share with them that assistance is available and give some information.”
As a purpose-driven leader, Laura recognises the value in being able to connect tenants to early intervention support on both a professional level and personally:
“As property managers, having more knowledge on how we can connect tenants to support, when needed, has empowered us. We can now do something about it, which for us as a team feels good.”
As an early adopter of Tenancy Skills Institute initiatives, McGrath North Lakes has been participating in a proof-of-concept trial of our new PM Assist App for well over 12 months now. The PM Assist App is a web-based app that enables property managers to quickly and efficiently connect tenants, with the tenant’s consent, to relevant support via a directory of support services.
Laura says, “It’s so easy to make a referral. As soon as our team identifies that a tenant is struggling, they refer them straight away. If the tenant decides not to take the referral, we respect that that’s their prerogative too. It just means that we’ve done as much as we can in our remit and duty of care for the tenant.”
Providing her team with opportunities to deliver purposeful outcomes for tenants on their rent roll, Laura recognises that the agency’s community-minded focus is something her staff love to be a part of, helping to improve people’s lives.
In closing, Laura reflects on the importance of National Homelessness Week. She shares:
“Homelessness is such a big problem, so we just look at what we can do in our tiny corner of the universe. If we can help some people to sustain their tenancy, then we’ve been able to positively contribute. We can’t do it alone; it’s about the two sectors working together.”
A pertinent note to end on as we recognise this important week, raising awareness of the issue of homelessness across Australia.