Aug 1st, 2023

Employee Spotlight: Meet the Team Responsible for Lowertown, Overbrook and St. Laurent

We sat down with Brent, the Property Manager who is responsible for 942 homes in Lowertown, Overbrook, and St. Laurent Boulevard areas- to talk about his team’s successes with tenant satisfaction. 

The team includes Maintenance workers – Bill, Eric, Jason, and Meron, as well as Maintenance Coordinators Brandon, Evan and Justin. 

Investments in time and providing a space to hear tenant concerns have paid off in a big way. The team’s tenant satisfaction survey results are at 90%, and they completed more than 4,000 maintenance work orders within the targeted time frame last year. 

We asked Brent to tell us about some of his solutions. 

At some of his higher-need buildings – 280 Montfort and 251 Donald Street – Brent set up “office” times in the lounge, so tenants could come to him and members of the team about routine maintenance items. 

“At 280 Montfort the tenants are limited in how they can communicate. I was in the building pretty regularly, so I thought it would be good to be proactive,” Brent said, adding the team would go in and do seasonal “blitzes.” 

For example, they would go in the fall and help tenants prepare for winter. Preventative maintenance goes a long way. 

“I would bring a maintenance worker to help close windows, check thermostats, and other preparations,” Brent said. 

During his office hours, tenants would come down to report needed repairs, which would be taken care of the same day. The practice reduced calls and other issues from those buildings. 

However, Brent quickly gives his team credit; he said he’s a hands-off manager. 

“I try to let the days unfold as they normally would. The job they do is unlike anything other, maintenance workers need to be engaged with the stuff they enjoy doing,” he said. 

When asked what makes his team unique, Brent said their personalities allow them to be successful – they are skilled at their work and stay calm in hectic situations. 

Investments 

Thanks to an investment of $350,000, the team was able to complete four major community improvements projects in 2022: 

MacManor hall and lobby refurbishments 

• Friel lobby and corridor flooring 
• New hallway and common area lamps for 251 Donald 
• Hallway painting at 251 Donald 

In addition to the larger projects, the team pays attention to the details – focusing on things like removing graffiti, burned-out lights, drywall damage, and scuffed doors. 

All calls related to home maintenance must be directed to the OCH Call Centre at 613-731-1182.