Commercial Property Management – Day in the life with Sophie & Will
Our Management & Professional Services team members Sophie Slight and William Nuttall gave us a sneak peek into their typical days and how their roles are evolving within Banks Long & Co.
After joining Banks Long as a secretary in the Commercial Management team in 2018 Sophie has spent four years observing our management surveyors and their work, this inspired Sophie and she has decided that she too wanted to become a surveyor. We explored Sophie’s first steps toward becoming an Associate Member of the RICS in an earlier blog.
“Each day is unique. For example, last week consisted of me carrying out property inspections, to make sure the properties we manage are safe and well maintained. Once these inspections were completed, I spent the day reviewing the actions and instructing the work. Generally, my day consists of liaising with tenants/landlords, interpreting leases, and instructing remedial works to be carried out. I enjoy the variation in properties that we manage, and the variation in tenants.” Sophie said.
Following graduation from university with a non-cognate degree, Will decided to pursue a career as a surveyor. He worked in Land and Development for two years, then moved to Banks Long & Co joining the Commercial Property Agency for his first 6 month rotation before moving to the Management & Professional Services division.
Will said “Management involves a wide range of activities, from agency work to maintenance to developing and improving the properties under our management. It’s a cliché, but no two days are the same. It’s the variety of the role that appeals to me”.
Sophie told us why she chose Banks Long. “They are a friendly, hardworking company and they invest in their staff. They have allowed me to train from a secretary to a property assistant, and now I am training to become a surveyor.
Will also told us what made him choose Banks Long. “Banks Long and Co have invested in my professional development by funding my Masters in Real Estate with the University College of Estate Management. The company’s ethos of investing and supporting its employees is fantastic and their graduate programme is extremely valuable.”
In the past few months, Sophie has been training to become AssocRICS qualified. So far this has helped her gain knowledge and experience from other departments, such as Commercial Property Agency. During her training, she must complete 48 hours of continuing professional development, which is also helping her to gain a deeper understanding of the role and its importance.
Will is currently completing his Masters and being able to undertake the Graduate Rotation Programme along with his Masters has been extremely valuable for him to apply his knowledge in the real world.
Additionally, they discussed the new software they are using. Re-leased is a property management software which assists with the day to day administration. Using the cloud, the data is easily accessed and stored. They find Re-leased to be a great addition, to help them save time and make everyone more efficient. In particular, it can be used to track events, as well as maintenance, through to completion.