Property Assistant (Itasca, IL)

COMPANY  

Dallas-based, privately held commercial real estate development and investment management company with exceptional performance specializing in value-add and opportunistic real estate investments. With an entrepreneurial spirit and proven 35+ year track record across several market cycles they have steadily built up a portfolio of over 15 million square feet of industrial and office properties and 4,100 multifamily units located nationally.  

OPPORTUNITY

The Property Assistant will be based in our Chicago, IL office.  The Property Assistant will be responsible for providing support to the Property Managers of light industrial assets located in the greater Chicago, IL area.  

RESPONSIBILITIES

The activities listed here are not all-inclusive; rather, they indicate the types of activities normally performed by this position.  The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate core competencies in the following areas:

General Office/Administrative: 

• As requested, provide administrative assistance to the Property Manager, including phone support and drafting, filing and distribution of correspondence and reports. 
• Create and maintain tenant and vendor contact lists to include emergency contact numbers and email addresses.
• Maintain efficient filing system for property management files.

Accounting: 

• Review and code property related invoices in a timely manner.
• Draft tenant bill-backs for manager approval, distribute invoices to tenants, and ensure payment received.
• Review rental increases and communicate or send any notices that need to be sent to tenants.
• Review Aged Receivable reports with Property Manager in accordance with company policy to ensure timely collections from tenants.
• Draft security deposit refund forms as requested by Property Managers.
• Assist with annual estimates and reconciliations of Operating Expenses.
• Participate with budget process including the collection, organization and entry of budget data.  Request bids from vendors, analyze, and recommend budget input.

Customer Service/Tenant Management/Lease Administration: 

• Support effective relationships and interaction with key clients:   all tenants, vendors, owners, etc.
• Develop and maintain a point of contact with each tenant in order to understand and assist with their business objectives, as it relates to their account needs. 
• Provide tenant services in a proactive manner for meeting tenant requests within their premises and the buildings’ common areas, in accordance with lease agreements. 
• Promote goodwill, provide high-quality service, and implement tenant retention practices.
• Maintain system of tracking expiration dates of leases.   Tracking of all changes or adjustments necessary to lease documents received.  (Amendments, Addendums, etc.)
• Serve as support between Landlord and Tenant with regard to each party’s compliance with all provisions of the lease.

Property Management Operations: 

• Directly involved with the support of office and property day to day operations.
• Receive tenant maintenance calls and determine services needed.  Coordinate tenant maintenance/repair requests with maintenance team or appropriate vendors and notify tenant of proposed solution.
• Provide support to Property Managers for special projects, ie: acquisitions, dispositions, refinances.
• Review and maintain Certificates of Insurance to ensure insurance requirements are met for:  Tenants, Contractors, Vendors, and Suppliers.
•  Support lease compliance enforcement procedures, ie: notices, tracking, and follow up.
• Request proposals for utility contracts, annual service contracts, etc.
• Maintain Tenant Lease files (hard copy and electronic copy) upon receipt of executed lease documents and maintain through lease term.
• Review Lease document for maintenance obligations or special terms and make recommendations to Property Manager on proceeding accordingly.
• Manage utility accounts and transfers for house meters, vacancies, new tenants, clean & show permitting, acquisitions and dispositions.
• Other duties may be assigned.

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE/PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree or commensurate experience required  
• Microsoft Office proficiency 
• Experience with Yardi/MRI and AVID Xchange accounting software preferred
• Workplace experience, minimum of 2 years in a workplace setting 
• Commercial Real Estate Experience preferred