Despite all of the systems, processes, and workflows you set-up, working in property management requires putting up with some degree of BS.   

While this may sound blunt (it is), the point is that some segment of being a property manager IS dealing with frustrating and trivial situations.   

This needs to be said, because many people in the property management industry resist the “BS”.  They defy the meaning of property management by facing difficult and/or trivial situations with “I don’t have time for this” or “this is ridiculous, I don’t need to respond to that”.  Having time for and responding to some level of trivial fluff is part of the job!  Phrases like this become slowly intertwined with our belief system, and over-time it becomes difficult to distinguish what things we do and do not have time for.  In some ways, phrases like these are the gateway drug to poor property management and a key ingredient in property manager burn-out (another topic all together). 

The reality is that property management requires a lot of complex interaction with humans… and humans are known for creating a lot of BS.  There’s no way around it, and we are miss-directed to expect anything else. 

To combat the above, we find it helpful to change the way we think about this kind of work.  By framing it in your mind that 5%-10% of what you do in a given day is going to be “BS” (replying to tenants that are asking ridiculous questions, trades that are unreliable, and landlord’s that demand to meet onsite to discuss what flowers would look best) you will not be surprised when it happens… because it will.  When it does happen, you will have removed the “shock” of the experience, greatly reducing any negative psychological impacts these frustrating situations tend to leave in their wake. 

“BS” that is planned, is emotionally manageable.