How To Become A Building Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a building manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

As a building manager, your responsibility is to oversee the daily operations and maintenance of commercial, industrial, or residential properties. You will coordinate and manage regular building maintenance and repairs. You will prepare and conduct emergency protocols and procedures. Besides that, you'll ensure facilities comply with applicable policies, regulations, and building codes. Also, you'll perform regular building inspections and compile reports. Additionally, you'll respond to inquiries and requests by building tenants and resolve any problems or issues.

You need just a GED or a high school diploma to get a job as a building manager. However, employers prefer a bachelor's degree in business administration, real estate management, or a related field. Candidates must have at least three years of experience in a similar role. Core skills for this position are project management, communication, critical thinking, customer service, problem-solving, and negotiation skills. Moreover, you'll be earning about $56,016 in a year, with a range from $30,000 to $105,000.

ScoreBuilding ManagerUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $66,595

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.4

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.60%

Asian 5.28%

Black or African American 8.62%

Hispanic or Latino 17.79%

Unknown 4.13%

White 63.58%

Gender

female 34.09%

male 65.91%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a building manager

Explore building manager education requirements

Most common building manager degrees

Bachelor's

67.5 %

Associate

12.8 %

High School Diploma

9.2 %

Start to develop specific building manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Building Maintenance	8.41%
Emergency Situations	7.59%
HVAC	6.94%
Quality Customer Service	6.53%
Facilities Management	5.13%

Complete relevant building manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New building managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a building manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real building manager resumes.

Gain additional building manager certifications

Building manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific building manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for building managers include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA).

More About Certifications

Research building manager duties and responsibilities

Demonstrate leadership, accountability, and teamwork when managing the budget by empowering staff members to participate in controlling expenditures.
Supervise electrical, plumbing, mechanical and general carpentry works.
Perform renovation repairs including painting, plastering, electrical and plumbing repairs.
Maintain cleanliness of common spaces; including garbage/recycling removal and snow removal.

Prepare your building manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your building manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a building manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable building manager resume templates

Build a professional building manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your building manager resume.

Apply for building manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a building manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do building managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Building manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022

Pros

I believe that as a property manager you are trusted with one of the most intimate areas of a persons life!… their home! That’s one heck of a responsibility because , at the end of the day everything starts and ends with home!

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019