Part Time Apartment Manager

Have you ever thought about supplementing your income by becoming a part time apartment manager? Let's take a look at what this job entails and see if it wouldn't be a good option for you.Most apartment manager jobs are full time, but there are part time jobs as well. Some landlords have some apartment complexes with under 10 units and they need someone on site in case their is a problem, someone to collect the rent, show the apartment and just generally keep an eye on the place.

The job can entail just you collecting rent to being a handyman. First evaluate your skills and write them down. This can also be the beginning of your resume. Can you change a toilet seat, repair a garbage disposal. Do you know basic accounting and have social skills. Can you clean a unit to prepare it for renting or can you call the people to come do it?

Although it is a part time job, the landlord will want to know if you will have the time and desire to be on call. Will you be able to sacrifice weekends to make sure the apartment is rented immediately, will you have the time to put an ad in the paper? The landlord needs to know that you understand their priorities and that you know that every day an apartment sets empty is money out of the landlords pocket.

Are you up to date on the current apartment/landlord laws in your state? You will need to know what paperwork you need to vacate a troublesome tenant or what to do if they don't pay the rent. There are landlord/tenant associations that you can get this information from, as well as the internet.

Start looking through the wants ads and craigslist.com. Call and talk to the landlord and see what they are looking for. Find out if they just want you to collect the rent or also be the handyman. Does he want you to prune the bushes or water the plants every Saturday? Every landlord will require something different from their manager. It is necessary to find out what the job entails before you even apply as it may not be a good match for you.

If you have no previous experience, don't let that stop you. Learn all you can about the rental business and keep applying. Every time you apply for a manager job you learn more what is required from the job. Keep building your resume as you learn more and more about the job. Lastly, be a good manager and do not become friends with the tenants, always stay professional. There must always be a line between managers and tenants, just like there is between bosses and employees. The tenants will not take advantage of you if they know that you will stick to the rules.

Also, do not become power hungry. Treat everyone fairly and professionally and keep your own emotions out of the way. As compensation as a manager, there is all kinds of different payment arrangements, from a reduction in rent to hourly wages. Please be aware that if you are getting reduction in rent of $200.00, that comes out to be about 25 hours of work per month, depending on the hourly wage in your state.

You need to keep track of your hours because you are not allowed to work under the minimum wage rate and if you are, you need to reduce the hours you are working. When you are applying for the job, do the math and tell the landlord that you understand that they would want you to work X number of hours a month for the salary. This will clear up any misunderstanding and also keeps the landlord from taking advantage of you by asking you to do more and more work for the same salary.