Property Manager Intake Questions

Your property manager (PM) knows the rules that can block your move — and they usually want to help. Ask these early, capture the answers in one place, and you delete most move-day surprises before they happen. It’s fine if you don’t yet know which questions apply; ask anyway.

How to use it

• Run this in one call or email in your first couple of days.
• Log every answer in your Open-Item Tracker; turn each gap into an item with an owner.
• Get the exact certificate of insurance (COI) language in writing and forward it to every vendor immediately — COIs take longer than people expect.

The questions

Access & approvals

• Who approves vendor access, and how far ahead must requests go in?
• What forms are required for movers, vendors, and after-hours work?
• How are employee access cards or mobile credentials issued?
• What’s the building emergency contact?

Insurance

• What COI language is required? Who must be named as additional insured?
• Where and to whom are COIs submitted?

Freight, dock & protection

• How do we reserve the freight elevator? What are the time windows and dimensions/weight limits?
• What are the loading dock rules and hours?
• What floor and wall protection is required — and who supplies it?
• Can vendors use building trash, or must they haul debris away?

Hours & systems

• When can work occur? When can moves occur?
• What are the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) hours, and how do we request after-hours HVAC?

Labor & permits

• Is union labor required for any of the work?
• Are permits, stamped drawings, inspections, or landlord approvals required?

Closeout

• How do we schedule final walk-throughs?
• Who do we contact for opening-week building issues?

Why this matters

The painful move-day failures are usually administrative, which means preventable: the mover lacks the right COI, the freight elevator wasn’t reserved, a vendor arrives outside approved hours, the required floor protection never showed up, the service entrance won’t fit the furniture, or the PM never approved the scope. Ask early, track each approval in one place, and these simply don’t happen.

See the full workstream: Property Manager & Building Rules.