APPRAISAL OF THE EFFECT OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT ON PROPERTY VALUE (A Case Study Of Commercial Properties In Awka)

ABSTRACT

The principal objective of property management is to maintain a property in a state to command the greatest possible net return and to protect the owner’s capital investment at all times, one unique feature of commercial properties is that they are of multiple occupation. Considering the huge capital investment in their construction, it is prudent that their efficient management should be of paramount importance. As with all forms of public properties, the management of commercial properties present peculiar problems that deman their own solutions.

The study therefore, seeks to appraise the effect of property management on property value using commercial properties in Awka as a case study.

CHAPTER ONE

1.1     BACKGROUND OF STUDY

The issue of property management has persisted in the Nigeria society for quite sometime. Property management is the art and science of real estate with respect to it’s development, maintenance, cash flow from users and occupiers in order to achieve optimum benefits for the owner and all parties interested in the property within the ambit of relevant laws.

It is observed that for many years. most properties have lacked proper management due to absence of qualified property managers who are professionally equipped to handle property management.

Many property owners (Landlords) do not usually engage the services of estate surveyors and valuers. They appoint “caretakers” to look after or take care of their properties. These caretakers in turn have limited powers as they can only collect rent from tenants and engage in minor repairs of the properties. Moreover, they are mostly laymen and not trained in estate management. This has affected the value of some properties in the market.

Therefore, the ability of a property to yield highest returns and posses a long physical and economic life depends on good property management. Good property management has transcended ordinary maintenance of property based on tenant’s complaints and graduated into purposeful planning of building services and efficient accounting system with due regard to the legal, economic and social interests of the tenants and Landlord alike.

If we look around and study some of the multi-storey and public properties in some of our state capitals, most especially Awka, one can easily distinguish between the well managed and the neglected ones.

Proper management of our landed properties is as important as the construction of these properties and it is vital to the economics, historical, social and cultural development of our nation and it should be accorded its due importance both privately and publicly.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Property developers as well as governments all over the world especially in developing countries embark on the development of properties. Although these properties were approved by the town planning authorities, they present physical, economical, environmental, financial and social problems.

Physically, the property becomes a source of discomfort to occupants due to wear and tear of the physical structure of the property. Any person looking for accommodation for residence or business may not like to take up the property that is old or lacked maintenance.

Economically, the property does not generate income as it used to when it was newly constructed.

Environmentally, these properties contribute to the degradation of the environment. They also pose a threat to people’s life as they can collapse and kill the occupants.

The social effect borders mainly on the property driving away high standard people. It was observed that these properties have turned out to become properties of low standard. All these result from poor management and lack of maintenance.

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

(a)     To ensure that the property is kept in a good state of repairs through regular maintenance within the estate.

(b)     To ensure that all those management tools such as letting, maintenance schedule, rent collection etc are properly articulated.

(c)      To elongate the economic life or useful life of a property through activities which tend to remove physical, economic and functional obsolescence.

(d)     To identity the well managed and neglected properties in the study area with a view to comparing their levels of income as well as state of maintenance.

(e)      To proffer necessary measures that should be taken in remedying the identified anomalies in poorly managed properties.

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study will no doubt be of immense benefit to several state holders and interest groups in the real estate development industry.

This study will also be particularly significant to the entire society, the Anambra state government and inhabitants, as it will come out with remedial measures towards the eradication of improper management of landed properties which does no one any good.

In addition, it will be of great benefit to professionals in the building industry, real property investors, occupiers, scholarly future researcher in related areas, policy and law makers, students and a host.

1.5     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the work is limited only to commercial properties in Awka. The metropolis in question has over the years witnessed poor management of landed properties owned by both private and public bodies due to the ignorance of property owners.

Work has however been limited to the appraisal of the effect of property management on the value of commercial properties.

1.6     LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

It is a fact that nothing is foolproof on earth. This position was equally the case with this study, firstly, there was the problem of logistic. Our people are known to have very poor research culture.

This was manifested in the cold attitude which some people approached for information showed and their unwillingness to fill the questionnaire given to them.

Time constraint was experienced, as there was not enough time to carryout more research on this work.

Some people were not convinced about the objective of this study and so they held back certain vital information for obvious reasons known only by them.

Financially difficulty also created hindrance as funds for transportation to source materials and fill the questionnaire posed a great problem.

All the same, the study has been carefully conducted for one to have a good insight into the subject matter.