Legal Advocacy in the Property Management Community: What You Need to Know
Property management is no easy task! It can involve a wide variety of tasks, from commercial real estate to vacation rentals. When restrictive laws or policies impact property management, it can be extremely hard for the community to recover. These laws can be federal and far-reaching, or local and impactful for only specific properties.
For example, this article explains how if you use your vacation rental as passive income, you are subject to all local regulations. As a property manager, you need to adhere to laws at the federal, state, and city level. That’s a lot to deal with, and it is why advocacy and legal influence are essential for the property management industry.
Why is Property Management Advocacy Important?
Unfair regulations can seriously impact the industry, making it much harder to rent and manage your properties. Property renting (in the short and long term) brings benefits to the local community, gives travelers options for where to stay, and helps property managers stay afloat. Restrictions and regulations threaten the livelihoods of everyone involved – whether they are part of the industry or not.
That is why becoming an advocate for the property management community is essential. By joining forces to make your voice heard, you can take a stand on behalf of the property community. Property managers have unique insights and understandings that policymakers often lack, and this puts them in the perfect position to advocate for and influence the legal world.
It is also important to have strong connections that you can use, both within the community and with people in positions of power. Building relationships with powerful people as well as those within the industry can allow you to truly build a movement for property management advocacy! People in the industry can also provide you with needed information for broadening your own business.
We’ve established that becoming an advocate on behalf of the property management community is important. Now, it’s time to look at how to accomplish this goal.
5 Ways to Influence and Advocate on Behalf of the Community
Advocacy and legal influence are about more than just educating yourself on regulations; it is essential to learn how to build a group with momentum and a clear message. This lets policy makers know exactly what you’re lobbying for. For example, a group wanting to decrease regulations for short-term rentals should make that mission a core part of their advocacy work.
So, here are five potential ways that you can influence and advocate on behalf of the property management community!
1. Mobilize a local base.
Movements do not necessarily need huge numbers to be successful, but they definitely help. You can either build up a local chapter of a nationwide movement, or start from scratch and advocate for specific changes in your local community. Either way, you will need to mobilize a local base in order to gain momentum.
This can involve reaching out to your local property management community and seeing who is interested in your work. It can also involve non-industry people who are simply passionate about the topic!
2. Meet with elected officials.
When possible, it is ideal to meet and network with your elected officials. You don’t need to start with trying to score an appointment with the governor – your local city council can be just as important! Your local base can organize a meeting with an elected official in order to present your thoughts on specific rules and regulations.
This may not immediately produce changes, but it gets your message out there and makes it clear to policymakers that you are ready to get started.
3. Create a specific platform and goal.
It can be tempting to start out wanting to solve every issue in the industry, but you should start out with a few smaller goals: identify restrictive regulations that impact property managers and outline the best way to get them overturned. You don’t necessarily need a catchy slogan, but it is important to have a clear platform that will draw others toward you.
4. Don’t be afraid to utilize the media.
The media can be a great way to gain followers and spread the knowledge about your advocacy work. You should consider making a specific page on various social media platforms to keep people updated on your progress and draw them into the fold. You can even meet with your local news and speak directly to members of your community.
5. Get your message out there.
Above all else, advocacy is about spreading your message and drawing people towards your cause. You can hit the ground running with flyers, meetings, and utilizing the media to help people become aware of your cause. That is why a specific platform and goal is so important! In addition, getting your message out there gives you more mobility.
If a meeting with an elected official does not produce the results you hoped for, you will still have the ability to get your message out there for anyone who is interested. This also has the added perk of allowing you to draw others into the property management community, sometimes by offering advice like this article about income.
Going Forth as a Property Management Advocate
By now, you have working knowledge about why advocacy on behalf of the property management community is so important. You also have some great tips for starting a movement in your own area. In the end, advocating for the abolishment of restrictive rules and regulations can improve more than just your own occupation – it can help communities flourish and make it easier to bring in interested renters.
Property management is incredibly rewarding, and the industry is great. That’s why it must be protected! Do your part for the community by joining or creating an advocacy movement and watch how it grows. Don’t forget to turn to excellent rental companies like Casago for advice, inspiration, and a great group of like-minded people.
