Property Management

Streamlining HR Compliance for Family-Owned Property Management Business

The Challenge They Faced

This family-owned apartment building had successfully operated their business for years, focusing on property management and tenant relations. With only six employees, most of which were part-time or seasonal, formal HR processes had never been a priority. The owners pulled together HR materials using online resources, which initially seemed sufficient for their small operation.

However, as the business matured, the owners recognized potential risks in their informal approach to human resources. They had concerns about:

  • Compliance with current employment regulations

  • Consistency in employee documentation

  • Equity across employee policies

  • Preparedness for potential ownership transitions or audits

  • Creating a foundation that could support future growth

The ExpeditionHR Approach

Client Overview

  • Industry: Property Management

  • Size: 6 employees

  • Type: Family-owned apartment building

  • Prior HR Support: None (self-managed using online resources)

Our partnership began with a comprehensive audit of all employee files and compliance practices. This thorough assessment revealed several areas requiring attention:

  • Inconsistent Documentation: Employee files varied significantly in completeness and organization

  • Outdated Policies: Much of the employee documentation hadn't been reviewed or updated in 7-10 years

  • Equity Concerns: Inconsistent application of policies across team members

  • Scalability Issues: Current systems wouldn't support business growth or ownership transition

Based on these findings, we developed a tailored implementation plan that would address these concerns while minimizing disruption to daily operations. Understanding the owners' need to focus on their core business, I proposed a fractional HR solution of approximately 5 hours per month over a six-month period.

Solutions Implemented

Working closely with the ownership team, ExpeditionHR:

  • Standardized employee files with complete, up-to-date documentation

  • Modernized employment policies to reflect current regulations

  • Created consistent onboarding processes and documentation

  • Developed an HR documentation system designed for easy auditing and transfer

  • Established equitable policies across all employees

  • Trained ownership on maintaining proper HR documentation

Results

After six months of fractional HR support, the apartment building now has:

  • Complete, compliant employee files for all team members

  • Updated policies that reflect current employment regulations

  • A consistent approach to employee management that ensures equity

  • Documentation that would withstand scrutiny during audits or ownership transitions

  • A scalable HR foundation that can grow with the business

Most importantly, these improvements were achieved with minimal time investment from the owners, allowing them to remain focused on the property and business growth while ExpeditionHR handled the HR transformation behind the scenes.

“I’m so glad we found ExpeditionHR!”

“The overarching feeling was that we were doing great things with our employees, but there was an underlying sense that we could be blindsided by an issue created from a lack of consistent file-keeping. Since our team shares responsibility to create satisfying living experiences for our 200 residents, I knew that we wanted to avoid any surprises that could adversely affect their happiness.

Knowing that we now have a backup–via Amanda’s baseline of knowledge about our operations from an HR perspective–gives us license to pursue stability on other fronts. For the first several months of our engagement, ExpeditionHR fulfilled every pledge (and more!), and they remain very flexible in terms of meeting any future issues head on.

I would say this to any small business owner considering getting their HR house in order by a professional: Don’t wait to find out the cost of losing key staffers to dissatisfaction and departures. Take some time to meet with Amanda and learn what an ExpeditionHR engagement would bring in terms of peace of mind. You, your employees, your business and your customers all deserve to experience the best you have to offer!”

— Brooke S.