2023 introduced itself with once in a lifetime weather events that has tested our ‘metal’ and caused us to revisit legislation that we only ever needed in an emergency. This legislation relates to qualifying a property as habitable or uninhabitable. Amongst our portfolio we have had 16 properties deemed uninhabitable and 31 with serious flooding.

Apart from the obvious issues that are devastating for the occupiers, one of the trickiest problems to address is the emotional toll it takes on those displaced from their homes, those who own the homes, and those who manage the process on behalf of all involved. Our team have been amazingly resilient, showing that their years of experience really count as they stepped straight into gear providing support 24/7 to those in need.

When major disruptions or damage occurs to a property (like after storms), or regular maintenance to a property is required, it’s important to have robust software that facilitates work orders and contractor management as smoothly as possible. For some time now we have been very settled with our maintenance software system that supports the team to perform their daily tasks efficiently. However, as business goes, one of our providers has been brought by a bigger company and hence we have a software transition next month that you will hear about in due course. We are on a four-week countdown now in the preparations for migration. We’ll be in touch at the appropriate time with our Owners and Contractors with details on how this maintenance software change may or may not affect them.

Amongst all the chaos these last couple of weeks, the team have welcomed two babies to two different team members, wonderful little blessings that remind us that no matter what happens, life goes on. For now, thank heavens the sun is shining – everything is better when the sun is out.