It’s that time again, PBSA end of term. Students are preparing for their finals and going home for the summer. Now you need to prepare your team!
It’s that time again - PBSA end of term. Students are preparing for their finals and dreaming about going home for the summer. But how prepared is your PBSA to make that transition smooth for the client and your team?
In today’s blog post, we’ll take a look at how you can start planning ahead of time to make many of your processes and tasks easier to complete.
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Most PBSA contracts end between 40-45 weeks, so you will want to start planning in advance to ensure a smooth transition for the end of term.
While many tasks will need to be done as this time approaches, there will also be plenty of tasks you can automate. This will help your team keep up during a busy period and relieve stress.
We always advise our clients to go into each year prepared. That means preparing for what on-boarding and off-boarding look like, plus everything in between. Preparedness to us isn’t just about understanding what happens and when, but also how you’ll automate and make the work easier to complete.
We’ll guide you through that later in the post.
Once you’ve set up your system, having your team meet a few months before the contracts end is always good. This allows you to dedicate time and manpower to admin and logistics while keeping up with the day-to-day.
Let’s imagine this is your first student end of term; here’s what we would recommend you include in your process.
You will need to notify all tenants well in advance about what end of term looks like. That means giving them a plan of action you’ll take and a plan they will need to follow to get deposits back.
Ensure your lead communication is automated so students have everything they need and the reminders to take action. This leaves your team handling the support queries.
Cut down on the paperwork by streamlining your documentation. Make each document purposeful and easy to find.
When it comes to PBSA end of term, you’ll need a document that clearly communicates expectations around returning keys, unit condition and dates for inspection and property vacation.
Online portals are a great place to store important documents and give immediate access to students throughout their tenancy. Include automated documents that appear towards the end of the rental period so that students already have access to reference letters or payment history as they leave.
Plan when tenants leave units in blocks, giving students clear departure windows. This allows for less panic on the ground and less need for support.
It will also give your team the opportunity to organise other supporting services, like unit inspections, clean-up and grounds maintenance.
While most students will have been dropped off at college by mum and dad, the chances are that they are on their own when it comes to moving out. This is when the moving process gets delayed - all because a student forgot to order moving boxes.
Make things simpler. Provide boxes or recommend moving companies and have volunteers help move limited personal effects.
Every unit will need inspection after a tenant leaves. Creating a systemised approach to documenting unit state will help reduce paperwork and red tape with releasing security deposits.
Much of the process after inspection can be automated, making deposits easy to refund for those who pass inspection and flagging anything needing attention. Remember, there will be local guidelines here, so make sure you understand your financial obligation to repay tenants on time.
After completing the departure phase, thoroughly review your end of term process. What worked well and what didn’t? How did your staff cope, and what do they think could improve future deliverables? How did it go for students?
Feedback is a great way to get to grips with how your process works and where you can make adjustments.
Your tech stack can make or break your PBSA end of term, so it’s important you understand what you need and how to integrate it.
We’ve got a list below, which will help you consider what to look for, but remember, we can do this for you (contact us here).
Here’s what we think you need to include:
PBSA end of term doesn’t have to feel like a headache, it can be a great way to segway between longer term lets and summer rentals (like hotelling). The ease of that process is down to how you plan your team and systems.
We hope that in today’s post, we’ve been able to help you with that.
If you need help setting up your PBSA business system, fill out the form below - We’d be happy to help.
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