FI-EN The Property Manager has a clear overview of the property’s maintenance costs, analyses and monitors them, and finds the best solutions for the customer

Joonas Walleniusis in charge of five properties owned by our international real estate investor in different parts of the Helsinki metropolitan area.

One of the key tasks of a property manager is to monitor the various maintenance costs of the property on behalf of the owner in day-to-day operations and, on that basis, to look for the best ways to curb expenses and achieve real savings.

The client’s large, non-mandatory investments had already been put on hold, and various property maintenance costs were generally on the rise. This shifted pressure onto the property manager to review operating expenses. In 2025, an investigation was launched into the operating costs of these properties to identify potential improvements or savings. Properties have expenses that can be influenced, and others that cannot. The largest cost items include heating and electricity, which do not come under scrutiny in the same way in day-to-day work. At these customer sites, Newsec’s energy management service is in use, focusing more on the properties from the perspectives of electricity and heating.

The next largest fixed cost items are property maintenance, lobby services, technical maintenance and waste management. In addition, continuous reviews are carried out and various services are regularly put out to tender, and if something happens to break unexpectedly, there will inevitably be individual repair costs.

Not all development requires a large amount of money behind it, but the impact can be significant.

Areas for improvement can also relate to the general appearance of the property or tenant comfort – things that a property manager pays attention to. At this customer’s sites, the property tour revealed, among other things, that one of the buildings had no place to lock bicycles where they could be secured safely.

The property manager took action. It’s a small investment, but in the bigger picture it has a major impact on the appearance of the property, on the customer, and of course on the satisfaction of the tenants using the property.

At one site, a basketball court is being planned for the yard, and at another, a play area for dogs – customer experience improvement at its best!

A property manager must always be aware of the costs of different tasks. And not everything requires a lot of money.

“When alarm bells start ringing, I make sure the cost is in line or, if the cost seems high compared to the work involved, I ask around and look into it. I also always look for the best value for money,” says Joonas.

And of course, when our property managers have an ongoing dialogue with the client’s representative about what is done and how it is done, a relationship of trust is built and customer satisfaction increases.