Voicemail greetings · Property managers
Voicemail greetings for property managers
A property manager's voicemail greeting is the message tenants, owners and prospects reach after hours — a clear one routes emergencies and keeps everything else for the morning.
Notes and scripts from Will Caraway. / .
Replace anything in [brackets], read the greeting out loud once, and keep it under 30 seconds.
Links I opened while writing
- AT&T: set up call forwarding on a wireless line — AT&T's **61* / **67* / ##004# codes from the carrier, not a recap blog
- Apple: change your iPhone voicemail greeting — Official steps to record a custom iPhone greeting instead of the carrier robot
How should a property manager's greeting define "emergency"?
5 recordings. Pick the one that matches the call sitting in the mailbox today.
“Thanks for calling [Business]. Leave your name, number, property address and unit, and what you're calling about, and we'll call you back during business hours.”
“You've reached [Business]. If you have a maintenance emergency, like flooding, no heat, a gas smell or a lockout, say "emergency" and leave your address and unit number. If you smell gas, leave the building and call 911 first.”
“Thanks for calling [Business]. Our office is closed. For maintenance emergencies, leave your name, address, unit and the problem, and we'll respond as soon as possible. All other calls will be returned on the next business day.”
“Hi, you've reached [Business]. If you're calling about an available unit, leave your name, number, the property you're interested in and your move-in date, and we'll call you back to set up a showing.”
“Thanks for calling [Business]. Owners, please leave your name and property address, and your property manager will call you back today. Tenants, leave your unit number and what you need.”
A specific line to add for tenants who over-flag emergencies
If you take maintenance emergencies after hours, define them tightly in the greeting — flooding, no heat in winter, a gas smell, lockout — and name a thing that is specifically not an emergency: "A clogged drain or a slow sink is not an after-hours emergency; please leave a message and we'll handle it in the morning." Explicit is kinder than vague, and it cuts your 2 a.m. callback load in half.
Name the emergencies. Name the ones that can wait.
Tenants over-flag after hours when the greeting is vague. Define the list. Flooding. No heat in winter. A gas smell. A lockout.
Then name one thing that is not an emergency. "A slow drain is a morning message." Explicit is kinder than a 2 a.m. argument.
- Always ask for the unit number. Address alone is not enough on a 40-unit building.
- Leasing calls go cold the same day. Return those before owner questions.
- Owners will wait. Prospects will not.
If you smell gas, the greeting should say leave the building and call 911 first. Then leave a message. That order matters.
Unit number, then the problem
12 Oak is not enough on a 40-door building. Ask for the unit every time. Owners and tenants both skip it.
Leasing prospects who hit voicemail tour the next property. Return those before an owner question about a lawn.
Gas smell: leave, call 911, then message. Put that order in the greeting. Do not reverse it.
A clogged drain at 1 a.m. is a morning work order. Say so. You will sleep.
Leasing vs a work order, said in the first sentence
Leasing prospects who hit voicemail tour the next property the same afternoon. Return those before an owner question about a lawn. Owners wait. Prospects do not.
Always ask for the unit. "12 Oak" is not enough on a 40-door building. Tenants and owners both skip the unit unless the greeting names it.
Name the emergencies. Flooding. No heat in winter. A gas smell. A lockout. Then name one thing that is not an emergency: a slow drain is a morning message.
Gas smell: leave the building, call 911, then leave a message. Put that order in the greeting. Do not reverse it. A voicemail cannot smell gas for them.
Which calls can you actually afford to send to voicemail?
Owners wait; tenants wait if the maintenance is routine. Leasing prospects don't — they already toured two other properties this week. Riley picks up the leasing calls you miss, gets the unit and move-in date, and texts them to you before the lead goes cold.
What makes a property managers greeting work?
- Define emergencies in the greeting so tenants don't over-flag.
- Always ask for the unit number.
- Leasing calls go cold fast; return them first.
Running a property management company? See how Riley handles calls for property managers.