What Should Be on a PM Dashboard?.
A useful PM dashboard should show where attention is needed, not simply display more numbers. Focus on the few indicators that help you spot risk, delays, workload and changing portfolio performance early.
A property management dashboard should help you answer one question quickly:
Where do I need to pay attention?
If the dashboard is full of numbers but does not help identify problems, priorities or changes, it is not doing much.
The best dashboards are usually simple.
They show what is happening across the portfolio and make it easier to spot something that is starting to move in the wrong direction.
Arrears.
Do not just show the total number of renters in arrears.
Look at:
number of properties in arrears
total value of arrears
days in arrears
repeat arrears
payment arrangements
matters requiring escalation
A small number of serious or repeat arrears may matter more than a larger number of minor cases.
Maintenance.
Maintenance can become one of the biggest hidden workload problems in a portfolio.
Useful measures include:
total open maintenance jobs
jobs open longer than expected
jobs awaiting landlord approval
outstanding quotes
urgent matters still open
repeat maintenance at the same property
The number of open jobs alone tells you very little.
The age and status of those jobs are usually more useful.
Lease Expiries and Renewals.
Your dashboard should make upcoming lease decisions visible well before they become urgent.
Consider showing:
leases expiring in 30, 60 and 90 days
renewals not yet started
landlord decisions outstanding
renter responses outstanding
leases approaching expiry without a clear next step
The aim is to prevent renewals becoming last-minute work.
Vacancies and Leasing.
For current vacancies, look beyond the number of vacant properties.
Track:
days on market
enquiry levels
applications received
properties with little or no enquiry
properties where pricing has been reviewed
properties approaching an extended vacancy period
This helps identify an underperforming campaign before the landlord starts asking why nothing is happening.
Routine Inspections.
Useful dashboard information might include:
inspections due
overdue inspections
completed inspections awaiting reports
inspection follow-up still outstanding
maintenance identified but not actioned
Completing the inspection is only part of the job.
The follow-up matters just as much.
Outstanding Tasks.
A large task count does not automatically mean there is a problem.
The more useful indicators are:
overdue tasks
tasks repeatedly rescheduled
tasks without a next action
tasks sitting with the same person for too long
matters approaching an important deadline
Age is often more important than volume.
Landlord and Renter Issues.
Not everything important fits neatly into a standard report.
Consider having a way to flag:
active complaints
difficult disputes
landlords at risk of leaving
unresolved renter matters
matters requiring management involvement
properties with several problems occurring at once
These may be small in number but high in importance.
Portfolio Movement.
For managers and department heads, the dashboard should also show what is happening to the portfolio overall.
Useful measures include:
managements gained
managements lost
properties currently vacant
upcoming vacates
landlord churn
portfolio size
net portfolio movement
Look at the trend, not just this month's number.
Losing four managements after gaining five is very different from simply reporting five new managements.
Do not turn the dashboard into another job.
A dashboard should reduce the amount of digging required to understand the portfolio.
It should not create another reporting exercise that takes hours to maintain.
Before adding another measure, ask:
What decision will we make differently because we can see this number?
If there is no clear answer, it probably does not need to be on the dashboard.
A good PM dashboard does not tell you everything happening in the department.
It shows you where to look next.