What to Do When Your Property Manager Isn't Following the Management Contract
We hear this all the time: Our property management is not fulfilling its obligations per our management agreement. To which we say, document everything, re-read your contract, put your concerns in writing, escalate to firm leadership, learn your termination rights, and consult your attorney before acting. You are not stuck.
Late reports, unanswered emails, spending without approval, missed filings. If this is your building, take a breath. You have more leverage than it feels like.
Signs your manager is not following the contract
Watch for a pattern, not one bad month:
Chronically late or missing financial reports
Poor or nonexistent communication
Spending beyond approved limits
Missed compliance filings and inspections
Slow or absent emergency response
Vendor arrangements that raise conflict questions
What to do, step by step
Document everything. Dated notes and saved emails turn frustration into a case.
Re-read your agreement. Confirm the specific obligations at issue.
Put concerns in writing. Tie them to the contract and ask for a fix by a clear date.
Escalate to firm leadership. Sometimes it is one manager, not the whole firm.
Learn your termination rights. Notice period, for-cause versus without-cause, cure period.
Consult your attorney. Before you terminate, so you exit cleanly.
Plan the transition. Line up your next firm so the building is never left uncovered.
Can you fire your property manager?
It depends entirely on your termination clause. Some contracts let you leave with notice. Others require proving cause through a slow process.
That single clause decides your timeline and your leverage, which is why reading it now matters so much.
Where boards go wrong
Two mistakes: they wait too long, hoping it improves, and they try to terminate without checking their contract or their attorney, handing the firm leverage on the way out.
A messy exit can leave your building uncovered at the worst possible moment.
This is the most stressful spot a board can be in, and the one where an experienced, board-side partner makes the biggest difference. We help you read the situation clearly, protect the building, and, when it is time, run a clean search and transition.
Feeling stuck with your current manager? The Folson Group helps boards evaluate the situation and, when it is time, runs an independent search on your side. Talk through your options.
FAQ
Can we fire our property manager for not following the contract?
Possibly, depending on your termination clause. Check whether you can leave with notice or only for cause, and consult your attorney first.
What should we do first?
Document the problems with dates and saved emails, then re-read your agreement to confirm the specific obligations.
How do we switch managers without leaving the building uncovered?
Plan the transition before you terminate, including records handover and a new firm lined up. A board-side search manages this for you.
