What does a senior property manager do?

A Senior Property Manager is responsible for the administration of property operations and the leasing office. They ensure that property management runs smoothly and profits are maximized.
Senior property manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior property manager resumes:
- Forecast and manage replacement of major capital expense items including HVAC system, roof systems, parking lot surfaces etc.
- Manage segment's treasury function including equity forecasting and investment requests as well as lender relations in a difficult banking environment.
- Use advance Yardi skills to process accounts receivable/payable, review budget reports, and analyze performance reports.
- Ensure that all building systems, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire systems are property maintain and service.
- Coordinate the transition of the accounting process moving from JD Edwards to Yardi, and the subsequent reconciliation of tenant accounts.
- Supervise and oversee all tenant/Landlord development/redevelopment work/budgets within designate portfolio.
- Supervise and oversee all tenant/Landlord development/redevelopment work/budgets within designate portfolio.
Senior property manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Senior Property Managers are proficient in Property Management, Portfolio, and Real Estate. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Property Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Property Management, 16%
Managed a team of thirty-four professionals engaged in property management operations and leasing for a residential portfolio of 910 units.
- Portfolio, 12%
Supervised and oversaw all tenant/Landlord development/redevelopment work/budgets within designated portfolio.
- Real Estate, 11%
Performed business personal property compliance requirements and real estate analysis/work-ups in deriving values for the respective classes of properties.
- Yardi, 5%
Trained and maintained Yardi software; Successfully completed Phase One move ins; Kept extensive marketing data
- Property Inspections, 5%
Conducted property inspections, oversaw administration of contracted services and ensured adherence to lease documents, company polices and procedures.
- Construction Projects, 4%
Formulated, coordinated and supervised rehab and construction projects, analyzed cost-per-unit and ensured quality of work & professionalism.
"property management," "portfolio," and "real estate" are among the most common skills that senior property managers use at work. You can find even more senior property manager responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior property manager to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what senior property managers do 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 senior property manager resume shows how senior property managers use communication skills: "maintain property maintenance, life safety systems and communication equipment at multiple sites. "
Customer-service skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior property manager duties is customer-service skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "property, real estate, and community association managers must provide excellent support to keep existing clients and expand their business with new ones." According to a senior property manager resume, here's how senior property managers can utilize customer-service skills in their job responsibilities: "completed operating expense reconciliations for the entire division consisting of over 50 properties and in excess of 1,000+ customers. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of senior property managers is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday senior property manager 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: "maintained positive resident relations through my strong interpersonal relations skills. "
Listening skills. For certain senior property manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "listening skills." The day-to-day duties of a senior property manager rely on this skill, as "property, real estate, and community association managers pay attention to residents and proprietors in order to understand and meet their needs." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what senior property managers do: "communicated with insurance brokers for entire portfolio regarding claims including property & liability, directors & officers, etc. "
Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in senior property manager job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what senior property managers do. Senior property manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "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." You can also see how senior property manager duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "exhibited strong organizational skills and proficiency using yardi genesis. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill commonly found on senior property manager job descriptions is "problem-solving skills." It can come up quite often in senior property manager 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 senior property manager responsibilities: "managed new condominium construction project at 205 east 59th street; resolved all construction issues. "
The three companies that hire the most senior property managers are:
- Pwc66 senior property managers jobs
- Ernst & Young26 senior property managers jobs
- Cushman & Wakefield16 senior property managers jobs
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Senior property manager vs. Leasing agent
A leasing agent primarily works to assist and represent property owners when finding and managing tenants. They are in charge of advertising and promoting the properties in different areas or platforms, developing marketing strategies, coordinating with applicants, gathering their requirements, verifying the applicants' paperwork and references, and negotiating leasing terms. Moreover, a leasing agent also acts as the landlord because they serve as the tenants' point of contact regarding issues and concerns, conduct property inspections, and manage the properties' maintenance operations, coordinating with the owners regularly.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a senior property manager are more likely to require skills like "portfolio," "real estate," "property inspections," and "construction projects." On the other hand, a job as a leasing agent requires skills like "customer service," "rent payments," "background checks," and "apartment homes." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Leasing agents tend to make the most money working in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $36,389. In contrast, senior property managers make the biggest average salary, $68,872, in the professional industry.On average, leasing agents reach lower levels of education than senior property managers. Leasing agents are 6.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior property manager vs. Leasing consultant
A Leasing Consultant specializes in helping property owners secure tenants for their rental properties. Most of the responsibilities include coordinating with landlords to find suitable occupants, posting rental notices and advertisements on various platforms, and monitor the quality of every rental property. Furthermore, Leasing Consultants must ensure that the tenants will be able to uphold the leasing agreements by screening potential applications through particular requirements, evaluating and verifying the applicant's documentation, and negotiating the contract terms.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior property manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "portfolio," "real estate," "property inspections," and "construction projects." Meanwhile, a leasing consultant has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "data entry," "product knowledge," and "phone calls." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, leasing consultants earn a lower salary than senior property managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, leasing consultants earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $33,561. Whereas senior property managers have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $68,872.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Leasing consultants tend to reach lower levels of education than senior property managers. In fact, they're 5.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior property manager vs. Leasing professional
A Leasing Professional is responsible for handling and coordinating with potential tenants for rental purposes. Leasing Professionals discuss the leasing terms and agreements with the clients, conduct property inspections, and identify possible repairs and renovations. They also evaluate the current market performance to negotiate pricing and payment procedures. A Leasing Professional must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in processing lease documents efficiently, responding to clients' inquiries and concerns, and adhering to state regulations and policies.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior property manager is likely to be skilled in "property management," "portfolio," "real estate," and "property inspections," while a typical leasing professional is skilled in "customer service," "property tours," "lease renewals," and "work ethic."
Leasing professionals make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $35,035. On the other hand, senior property managers are paid the highest salary in the professional industry, with average annual pay of $68,872.When it comes to education, leasing professionals tend to earn lower degree levels compared to senior property managers. In fact, they're 6.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior property manager 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.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior property managers and building managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior property manager might have more use for skills like "portfolio," "real estate," "yardi," and "property inspections." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of building managers require skills like "building maintenance," "emergency situations," "quality customer service," and "facilities management. "
Building managers enjoy the best pay in the real estate industry, with an average salary of $74,028. For comparison, senior property managers earn the highest salary in the professional industry.The average resume of building managers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to senior property managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.5%.Types of senior property manager
Updated January 8, 2025











