What does a property administrator do?

A property administrator is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties for real estate and property companies. Property administrators coordinate with prospective clients to inform them about the property and offers tours to give a better view of the location. They assist in preparing contracts, processing documents, administering payments, and resolving rent discrepancies. A property administrator also handles calls for regular maintenance of the property, ensuring the safety and security of the premises and negotiating maintenance services with contractors.
Property administrator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real property administrator resumes:
- Recruit to manage the process of client-own REO properties.
- Manage third party services including cleaning, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, specialty vendors and contracts.
- Manage IP investigator/other service supplier relations.
- Manage condominiums for individual investors; enforce lease requirements/community policies.
- Meet with landlords to discuss technical matters when involve in evictions, maintenance and welcoming new tenants.
- Generate estoppel certificates, and coordinate due diligence regarding various sales or acquisitions.
- Perform financial analysis of potential joint venture and funding opportunities, conduct portfolio management, and assist in new market strategies.
- Process invoices to accounting using YARDI budgeting software.
- Assist closing and title coordinators on a daily basis.
- Code and enter accounts payable invoices into online accounting software (MRI).
- Obtain DoD approval to print IUID labels for contract and tag all qualifying equipment.
- Assist with accounting procedures; organize close of escrow files for possible HUD audit.
- Facilitate tenant rent letters as required; responsible for the annual CPI escalation process.
- Prepare reports and calculations using current CPI for rental increases per each lease contract.
- Handle HOA inquiries and violations as well as basic rental agreements, and owner/tenant concerns.
Property administrator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Property Administrators are proficient in Property Management, Customer Service, and Office Equipment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Property Administrators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Property Management, 14%
Process all aviation parts and equipment for inventory and accountability purposes into the Property management computer program system for in-coming shipments.
- Customer Service, 12%
Provided unparalleled customer service to tenants including coordinating tenant events, sending tenant correspondence, and coordinating tenant move-in and move-outs.
- Office Equipment, 5%
Performed required maintenance of office equipment and office products
- Administrative Functions, 4%
Assisted Property Manager and ensured effective management of office administrative functions.
- Budget Preparation, 4%
Generated monthly and quarterly management reports as well as annual budget preparation.
- Real Estate, 4%
Safeguarded property owners assets in ensuring due diligence in assessing risk associated with real estate investments.
"property management," "customer service," and "office equipment" are among the most common skills that property administrators use at work. You can find even more property administrator responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a property administrator to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "property, real estate, and community association managers must understand contracts and must be able to clearly explain the materials and answer questions raised by residents, board members, or service providers." Additionally, a property administrator resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "process all incoming communications including telephone calls, mail, and meeting inquiries. "
Customer-service skills. Another essential skill to perform property administrator duties is customer-service skills. Property administrators responsibilities require that "property, real estate, and community association managers must provide excellent support to keep existing clients and expand their business with new ones." Property administrators also use customer-service skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "coordinated all reporting functions including physical inventories, loss reports, and contract closeout documentation to dcma and customer. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of property administrators is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday property administrator duties, as "property, real estate, and community association managers interact with different types of people every day." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "displayed excellent interpersonal, communication and customer service skills. "
Listening skills. A big part of what property administrators do relies on "listening skills." You can see how essential it is to property administrator responsibilities because "property, real estate, and community association managers pay attention to residents and proprietors in order to understand and meet their needs." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical property administrator tasks: "communicated with property manager regarding building and tenant issues. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for property administrator responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of property administrators all the time, as "property, real estate, and community association managers must be able to plan, coordinate, and direct multiple contractors at the same time, often for multiple properties." An excerpt from a real property administrator resume shows how this skill is central to what a property administrator does: "utilized microsoft word, excel, and powerpoint to record, document and provide correspondence for organizational needs. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill commonly found on property administrator job descriptions is "problem-solving skills." It can come up quite often in property administrator duties, since "property, real estate, and community association managers must be able to mediate disputes or legal issues between different groups of people, such as residents and board members." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day property administrator responsibilities: "generated monthly inventory and property metrics including discrepancies discrepancies/loss included analysis/solutions via pcarss, sap and other various reporting systems. "
The three companies that hire the most property administrators are:
- Cushman & Wakefield44 property administrators jobs
- JLL18 property administrators jobs
- Robert Half17 property administrators jobs
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Property administrator vs. Real estate manager
A Real Estate Manager manages the financial aspects of a property. They collect rent and prepare and maintain financial statements. Real Estate Managers also inform owners about occupancy rates, expiration dates of leases, and other issues.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between property administrators and real estate manager. For instance, property administrator responsibilities require skills such as "office equipment," "administrative functions," "budget preparation," and "management reports." Whereas a real estate manager is skilled in "financial analysis," "project management," "oversight," and "due diligence." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Real estate managers tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $85,510. In contrast, property administrators make the biggest average salary, $42,458, in the real estate industry.real estate managers tend to reach higher levels of education than property administrators. In fact, real estate managers are 5.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.8% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Property administrator vs. Resident manager
A resident manager's role focuses on maintaining and supervising residential and rental properties, even hotels. Typically an in-house employee, it is a resident manager's responsibility to oversee all maintenance operations to ensure that the property is at optimal condition, assess staff's performance, prepare and manage budgets, and produce progress reports for the company or property owner. They mostly respond to inquiries from guests or tenants, even processing payments when necessary. Moreover, a resident manager may address issues and concerns, providing corrective measures while adhering to the policies and standards.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, property administrator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "office equipment," "administrative functions," and "budget preparation." Meanwhile, a resident manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "resident care," "cpr," "medication administration," and "developmental disabilities." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, resident managers earn a higher salary than property administrators. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, resident managers earn the most pay in the internet industry with an average salary of $53,747. Whereas property administrators have higher pay in the real estate industry, with an average salary of $42,458.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Resident managers tend to reach similar levels of education than property administrators. In fact, they're 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Property administrator vs. Building manager
Building managers are executives who oversee the maintenance and safety of properties and make sure that these properties comply with the organization's goals. The managers coordinate and manage the safety, security, and maintenance of the general building. They are tasked to supervise janitorial staff in cleaning the building. It is their responsibility to keep organized and clear records related to security issues and occupant complaints. They should be equipped with organizational skills, attention to detail, and communication skills.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, property administrators are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "office equipment," "administrative functions," and "budget preparation." But a building manager is more likely to have skills like "building maintenance," "emergency situations," "quality customer service," and "facilities management."
Building managers earn the best pay in the real estate industry, where they command an average salary of $74,028. Property administrators earn the highest pay from the real estate industry, with an average salary of $42,458.When it comes to education, building managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to property administrators. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Property administrator vs. Leasing manager
A leasing manager is responsible for processing the lease requirements of multiple properties for potential renters and ensuring that all documents are filed accurately, following the standards of property management and clients' qualifications. Leasing managers develop marketing campaigns to advertise leasing properties through media relations and posting on social media platforms. They respond to the potential renters' inquiries and concerns, negotiate contract agreements, inspect the property's location for safety and security, and conduct regular reviews of monetary requirements.
Types of property administrator
Updated January 8, 2025











