Jasraj Suri

I joined the Takapuna branch as the Head of Property Management in October 2024. This was my first time managing a team and I learned a lot from this experience.

My biggest wins were gaining new managements, helping my team learn to deal with tenant/landlord disputes, and building a positive & motivating team culture.

Over the last 6 months my team and I have grown stronger in our knowledge, efficiency and communication. I have guided my team to better handle disputes by helping them reach solutions themselves and secure more new managements by giving them advice on how to build rapport and close a deal. We have gained over 25 new managements over this period, with volume of new leads continuing to increase. Our relationship with the sales team has grown stronger too which has translated into more referrals from them.

Personally, my biggest learning has been how to manage a team. This is the newest skill I've learnt and am continuing to improve on. All challenges they face are challenges I share with them. I make time to understand what is happening in each one of their portfolios by holding weekly team meetings which are then followed by one on one meetings the next day. This helps me keep up to date and allows for us to defuse issues before they become large.

Overall, the HOP role at Takapuna has given me immense learnings which I am looking to continue to build on. I have enjoyed managing my team and helping them grow. The increase in my responsibilities have made me more knowledgeable, patient, and decisive. There is always something new happening in the world of property management, we share experiences and learn from each other which makes us more capable each day.

I joined the Relieving Property Management team in July 2023 right after my role as a property manager at Te Atatu. I spent a little over a year as a reliever and the job was very rewarding.

By working across multiple branches in a variety of suburbs, I gained experience with a diverse background of tenants and landlords. This role had also helped me learn a variety of ways different branches like to operate. Jumping in on a new portfolio every other week had trained me to pick up tasks quickly and problem solve efficiently. Note taking, working thoroughly and conflict resolution are key skills I learned during this role since I would constantly be working in unfamiliar situations with tenants, landlords, and contractors.

Most importantly, relieving had helped me learn how to quickly ingrate with new teams at new branches so that we efficiently work, learn, and grow together.

I graduated from my Cadetship in December 2021 and joined the property management team at the Te Atatu branch as a property manager. This was my first time working in a branch full-time.

Working in a fast paced branch environment I learned important skills like time management, optimising my work load, strong communication with tenants and landlords, and teamwork. These skills helped me gain new managements and grow my property portfolio while maintaining high retention.

I was with Te Atatu for approximately 1.5 years and by the end I was managing close to 100 properties. I had made strong connections with my tenants and landlords, we had trust and respect for each other which made the workload very manageable by the end of my time there.

I joined Barfoot & Thompson in May 2021 as a Cadet at the Support Centre, gaining knowledge of the systems and property management customer service values. During my short time there I went through extensive training and learned valuable skills from my peers and trainers. This built my foundation for my role as a Property Manager.

This was my first job, I started off working as a Sales Consultant at Noel Leeming Silverdale in September 2017. While working as a sales consultant for over than 3 years, I was given opportunities to engage with a variety of people.

The fast paced retail environment is where I built the foundation of my sales skills and excelled in working with the customers to offer a complete solution based on their needs.

Over those years I learned the importance of being patient and building rapport with the customers. This has enabled me to resolve customer complaints and establish the customer's trust within myself and the business.

Using my communication and sales skills, I built loyalty and trusted relationships with customers which lasted for years until the end of my employment there.