What motivated you to establish Aquantam Property Realtors Ltd?

We are a real estate management and financing company with the objective of providing real estate solutions and managing properties.

Our initial plan when we started the company was to offer cleaning services.

However, along the way, we realised that there was a gap on matters property management.

Property managers in the market at the time were not  effectively delivering what is expected of them.

We decided to bridge the gap and in 2015 we started our property management department, which was later incorporated in 2018.

Our style of management is different from others, because we safeguard our clients’ investment by keeping their property attractive through painstakingly detailed maintenance.

What are the benefits of hiring a professional property manager for a property?

Property managers ensure that there is professionalism in running the business.

They do the marketing and advertising bit, offer all-day customer care services and ensure that your property is fully occupied.

We give landlords the comfort that they will collect rent without them having to go directly to their tenants.

Our concept has proven extremely popular with property owners, who particularly cherish the idea of not having to haggle with clients who sometimes out-negotiate them. 

What are the do’s and don’ts of recruiting a property manager?

Always ask for referrals. Avoid using companies that have not managed any property before unless they are a new company, check the online presence of the management firm,  and if the company doesn’t have an online presence, that should be the first red flag.

Also finding a licensed company, adheres to an extensive code of ethics and uphold certain professional standards. Finally, look for a company that has a portfolio of their past work.

What are some of the challenges you are facing as a property management company? 

Just like any other sector, there are a few challenges in this sector as well. The biggest  being rogue and unprofessional agents who continue to paint a negative picture about property agents across the country.

As a result, most Kenyans are scared to engage property management firms, something we are trying very hard to change.

Apart from that, most developers don’t engage property managers from the onset and eventually, when they engage them, some of the houses are usually not habitable depending on the location making it hard to get tenants for such units.

Are there opportunities in this sector that are yet to be tapped?

The greatest opportunity in this sector is consultancy work. Only a few companies are offering consultancy services, yet these services are required by any property developer at all stages. 

To what extent is one supposed to alter a property after moving in and should they restore to the original state of property when moving out?

One is supposed to return the property into its original state before moving out.

Walls, windows, framing, and doors are not allowed to be altered. Tenants should bear the repair cost of any alterations and damages as a result of their occupancy even for the common areas.

That is why before moving in, there should be a walk-through checklist that records the initial status of the property and when moving out another checklist to record the status of the property at that time.

How about when the tenant has made alterations that improve to the property?

 That is allowed, but even those improvements should be left in good condition when moving out.

To avoid all these inconveniences, ask the property owner which kind of alterations are allowed and ensure everything is written down.

If the tenants fail to return the property to its original status, his or her deposit is used to cater for the repairs and this is legally allowed.