Property Management Front Desk / Dispatcher (Calls + Utilities + Maintenance Coordination)

Property Management VA — Tenant Communications & Utility Coordinator
Full Time · 40 hrs/wk
AppFolio Required
US Business Hours
Long Term
South Jersey · Remote

ABOUT THE COMPANY
We are a fast-growing residential property management and real estate acquisitions company based in South New Jersey. We currently manage 190 rental properties and are actively growing our portfolio. We are building a professional, systems-driven team and looking for a long-term tea ---------- mber who takes ownership of their role and genuinely cares about doing excellent work.

We use AppFolio as our property management platform. If you do not have AppFolio experience please do not apply.
THE ROLE
This is a front-facing tenant communications and operations role. You are the first point of contact for all of our tenants. Your job is to make every tenant feel heard, responded to quickly, and confident that their home is being well managed. You will also own utility tracking and coordination across our entire portfolio — a critical function that keeps our operations running cleanly.

This is not a passive admin role. We need someone who is proactive, organized, and genuinely enjoys communicating with people. If a tenant calls you, they should hang up feeling better than when they called.
WHAT YOU WILL OWN EVERY DAY
Answer all inbound tenant calls during US business hours — no voicemail during the day, every call answered live or returned within 2 hours
Log every tenant interaction in AppFolio immediately — calls, messages, emails, maintenance requests, everything documented same day
Receive all maintenance requests from tenants, create work orders in AppFolio, and communicate expected timelines back to tenants within 1 hour
Follow up with tenants after maintenance is completed to confirm they are satisfied before the work order is closed
Build and maintain a master utility tracker across all properties — PSE&G, South Jersey Gas, water authorities, and any other utilities — tracking account numbers, responsible party, and transfer status for every unit
Coordinate utility setup and transfers on vacant units as they are being prepared for new tenants — utilities must be active before move-in
Coordinate utility shut-off and transfer at move-out so accounts never remain in the company name after a tenant vacates
Schedule inspections and walkthroughs and communicate details to relevant tea ---------- mbers
Send proactive communications to tenants about scheduled maintenance, weather advisories, and any portfolio-wide updates using AppFolio bulk messaging
Monitor lease renewal dates in AppFolio 90 days in advance and flag upcoming renewals to the team
Support leasing agents on vacant units — communicate move-in dates, coordinate utility setup timing, and ensure units are ready for new tenants
REQUIREMENTS
AppFolio experience is mandatory. You must have hands-on experience using AppFolio for property management — work orders, tenant communication, lease management, bulk messaging. This is non-negotiable. Please do not apply if you have not used AppFolio.
MUST HAVE
Excellent spoken and written English. You will be speaking directly with US tenants on the phone every day. Your English must be clear, professional, and confident. You must be comfortable having difficult conversations calmly and professionally.
MUST HAVE
US business hours availability. You must be available Monday through Friday during Eastern Time business hours. This role requires real-time availability during the day — not async work.
MUST HAVE
Reliable internet and a quiet workspace. You will be on phone calls with tenants throughout the day. Background noise is not acceptable. A headset is required.
MUST HAVE
Prior property management VA experience. You must have worked in US residential property management before. We do not have time to train someone on property management basics — we need someone who understands how a rental portfolio operates.
MUST HAVE
Experience with utility coordination across a multi-property portfolio — setting up accounts, transfers, shut-offs, tracking across multiple utility companies
Experience managing work orders and maintenance coordination in AppFolio specifically
Experience with New Jersey utilities — PSE&G, South Jersey Gas, South Jersey Industries, local water authorities
BONUS
Experience supporting Section 8 / housing voucher tenants and coordination with housing authorities
BONUS
WHO YOU ARE
You genuinely enjoy talking to people and helping them solve problems — this is not a role for someone who prefers to work quietly in the background
You are proactive — you don't wait to be told to follow up, you follow up because you know it's the right thing to do
You are organized and never let things fall through the cracks — every open item has a status and a next action
You stay calm under pressure — when a tenant is frustrated you are a stabilizing presence, not a defensive one
You take ownership — when something is your responsibility you own it completely until it is resolved
You are looking for a long-term position with a growing company — we are not looking for someone between jobs