Income property management made easy
Managing rental properties can be an energy-intensive business. Fortunately, there are digital solutions like Proprio Expert, a cloud-based platform that allows owners and managers to centralize their information, communications, accounting and tasks in one place. Interview with Filipe Nunes, director of the Sherbrooke office of the Corporation des propriétaires immobiliers du Québec (CORPIQ), conducted by La Presse in 2023.
A multi-tasking platform
Owners of rental properties take on many responsibilities: posting units for rent, arranging viewings, filling out credit check applications, getting leases signed, overseeing renewals, collecting rents, accounting for income, administering expenses, planning annual maintenance and one-off repairs, calculating increases, etc.
“There’s a lot to think about and do, and some duplex and triplex owners have full-time jobs. Managing buildings is not their main occupation. Our platform, which has evolved considerably over the past 20 years, helps simplify all the tasks they have to perform,” explains the technology enthusiast.
A virtual toolbox
The main aim of the Proprio Expert platform, which CORPIQ acquired in 2022 to enhance its service offering, is indeed to facilitate the work of residential and commercial building owners. “I’m thinking of a customer who owned 2,800 units and used a spreadsheet to manage his many doors. Collecting rents required at least two weeks’ work from his team. Thanks to Proprio Expert, this real estate investor reorganized his business, and he and his employees had more time to take good care of the buildings and tenants,” says Filipe Nunes.
Another example? Apartment building owners also have the option of transferring the information they have entered on credit inquiry forms to create digital leases and have them signed electronically by future occupants. This can be a real advantage in times of housing shortage.
“Right now, there’s a lot of demand and not much supply. With The Real Estate Manager, homeowners avoid unnecessary travel and optimize their time management,” says the business administration graduate. It also reduces paper consumption and, consequently, space consumption, because there’s no longer any need to find a place to store various documents and archives. Furthermore, Proprio Expert helps landlords to communicate effectively with tenants, enabling them to better manage their property.
One place for everything, accessible everywhere
As the first specialized real estate platform to use cloud computing in Quebec, Proprio Expert lets you keep a history of all your actions over time at your fingertips. Rental requests, surveys, leases, renewals, tenant requests, repairs, accounting – it’s all there!
“With just a few clicks, owners of income properties can see where they have invested their money. They can also easily communicate with tenants by e-mail or text message, using formatted texts,” continues Mr. Nunes.
In short, Proprio Expert takes the pain out of managing rental properties, improving communications between landlords and tenants, as well as record keeping and archiving.
