With social distancing mandates in place across the United States and large numbers of people working remotely, the property management industry is faced with its own unique set of challenges during this unprecedented time in history caused by the coronavirus.
While the industry has made great strides introducing self-service technology with portals that allow residents to pay their rent, renew their lease, schedule package delivery, and put in a maintenance ticket all online, human interaction is still required — specifically in the area of maintenance. This puts social distancing at risk if not handled properly.
Service Requests Can Be a Source of Anxiety Right Now
And now that more people are home all the time, service requests are likely to rise, causing anxiety for both the resident and the maintenance team. This can manifest itself in different ways:
- Maintenance teams may be exposed to multiple groups of residents in a given day with no knowledge of their social distancing practices or the state of their health.
- Residents, on the other hand, have the inherent stress associated with safely maneuvering the common spaces – mailbox area, lobby, trash – and the many door handles they encounter along the way. Compound that with inviting a maintenance person into their home and agitation is likely to be high.
Minimize Risk & Improve Peace of Mind
As the industry acclimates to providing service in the age of COVID-19, following are three tools that can assist you in managing the associated anxiety and providing service while protecting both residents and the maintenance teams:
- Follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for preventing the spread of Coronavirus.
- Learn about “Service Distancing” in How to Handle Maintenance During COVID-19 – During this webinar, Paul Rhodes, NAA National Safety and Maintenance Instructor, provides strategies for handling maintenance in this new realm.
- Watch the complete set of Visto mini-webinars (each under 15 minutes) and receive free guidance from NAA subject matter experts who walk viewers through helpful strategies for minimizing risk, protecting reputation and preserving service continuity.
View the full list of free webinars, plus helpful courses and links on our Visto COVID-19 Resources page.
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