Housemart announced Residential Property Management Agency of the Year
 Katrina Roberts, Hayley Stevenson, Colleen Topping & Andrea Bono.jpg)
Queenstown and Wanaka property management agency Housemart has returned home from the 2012 Property Management Awards with ‘a bagful’ of accolades including Property Management Agency of the Year.
Housemart director Hayley Stevenson said they had good reason to celebrate with members of the property management agency’s team being recognised.
“It’s absolutely huge for Housemart to have won this,” she said. “It was a fantastic surprise after our staff successes throughout the night to be announced the overall agency winner, we were stunned.”
The 2012 Awards for Excellence in Residential Property Management were announced in Hamilton on Saturday night (August 18) and attended by property management professionals from around New Zealand. The annual event is run by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) and recognises excellence in agencies and individuals within the residential property management sector.
Housemart Property Manager Katrina Roberts won Residential Property Manager of the Year with colleague Colleen Topping taking out the runner-up position in the same category. Andrea Bono from Housemart’s Wanaka office was named Residential Property Management Support Staff Person of the Year.
“We are also absolutely thrilled for everyone who works with the company, for our clients, our tradespeople, for the tenants who recommend us and families associated with Housemart,” said Ms Stevenson.
“We operate from small offices in Queenstown and Wanaka, so for a company that’s relatively young and new this is incredible.”
Operating for two years, Housemart was able to demonstrate a number of significant achievements as part of its award-winning agency entry, including a 171% growth in new managements, consistent accuracy on property reporting and documentation, and a zero tolerance policy for rent arrears.
“This year’s awards were focussed on consistency in excellence,” said Ms Stevenson. “We have systems that are so well established, and structures that are so well documented and followed through, that we deliver consistent, reliable and excellent service time after time. We don’t do hit and miss.
“We work exceptionally hard but my team all know I emphasise that we have a good work-life balance and we’re very much involved with our local communities, for example having recently raised more than $8,000 for the Cancer Society.”
Housemart has tasted success at the property management awards in the past, taking out individual awards for its property management team. It has been a finalist for property management agency of the year for the past two years.
“It’s good to finally be the bride and not the bridesmaid,” said Ms Stevenson. “If you looked at the calibre of the other finalists, we were up against big corporate property management companies, feeling we were very much the smaller underdog. Victory is so sweet because they didn’t see us coming.”
Housemart launched in Wanaka in 2010 with the Queenstown branch opening in Terrace Junction later that year. The company is highly systemised and offers a premium customer experience, with rental property portfolios exclusive to Wanaka and Queenstown.
Ms Stevenson, who has twice won the top REINZ Property Management award, said the company’s proven integrity and standards has been paramount in growing the business despite increased competition in the local market.
The five categories at the awards all relate to the residential market and are Property Management Agency of the Year, Property Manager Rookie of the Year, Property Management Business Development Manager of the Year, Property Manager of the Year, and Property Management Support Staff Person of the Year.