Choosing a property manager when you cannot be there

Define the work you want managed

Start by listing the decisions and tasks you need someone to handle. Tenant placement, rent collection, guest operations, inspections and repairs can be different services with different fees. A vacant home also needs a different plan from a busy short-let apartment.

Distinguish the work inside your unit from the management of shared facilities such as common areas, lifts and estate infrastructure. Ask who controls each area and how your manager will coordinate with the building or estate team. Put the agreed scope in writing.

Check the people and the operating arrangement

Ask for the firm's legal identity, the person responsible for your account and relevant experience with similar properties. Speak to references who can describe reporting, maintenance and communication. Where the firm carries out estate agency work, check the relevant practitioner details with the Real Estate Agency Council.

For a short-let, establish who is responsible for the applicable tourism registration and licensing. Ask to see the arrangement for backup cover when the main contact is unavailable. A named contact is useful only when the business can still operate in their absence.

Set authority and spending limits

Agree what the manager may approve without contacting you and what needs written permission. Define a genuine emergency, the process for documenting it and how quickly you will be told. For larger work, request a scope, quotations and a decision record before costs are incurred.

Clarify who may sign contracts, adjust rental terms, issue refunds or appoint contractors. Keep access to bank accounts and booking platforms proportionate to the responsibilities assigned. A lawyer can help document the necessary authority and its limits.

Review an actual reporting example

Request a sample statement before appointing the manager. A useful format reconciles money received, fees, authorised expenses and the balance paid to you. It should also show outstanding amounts and attach or reference the underlying invoices and receipts.

Agree the reporting date, payment date and regular review call. For short-lets, include nights available, nights booked, refunds and owner use. For a tenanted home, include rent due, rent collected and unresolved issues. Keep performance reporting separate from promotional income estimates.

Make maintenance visible

Begin with a dated condition report, inventory and photographs. Set an inspection schedule appropriate to the use of the property. Track each repair from the first report through approval, completion and any warranty follow-up.

Agree a sensible reserve for planned work and decide how it will be held and reconciled. Ask the manager to distinguish recurring maintenance from improvements. This helps you understand whether spending preserves the property, changes its specification or prepares it for a different use.

Plan for privacy and a clean handover

Ask how tenant, guest and owner information will be collected, stored and shared. Ghana's Data Protection Commission explains that people must be informed about the purpose and recipients of their personal data. Keep sensitive documents out of casual group chats and limit access to the people who need them.

Finally, agree how either party can end the arrangement. Set out the handover of keys, records, deposits, listing access and open maintenance issues. Clear exit terms help make the relationship accountable from the beginning.