Administration of Culturally Diverse Residential Projects
20 ธ.ค. 2019
พลัสทอล์ก
Today’s borderless world has resulted in co-living among the peoples of the world and the gravitation of various cultures toward one another. The movement and relocation of people for work and travel purposes means that nowadays we wake up each morning to find ourselves amidst a multitude of peoples who hail from many nations and who have their own languages.
Learning each other’s culture, with the aim of leading towards harmonious co-existence, is today’s topic of discussion. Those who have the responsibility of overseeing or administering residential projects wherein there are many nationalities of tenants are especially aware of how attention to the minor details of each culture can help to greatly smoothen their work.
Plus Property’s collection of information on the number of units offered for sale, the sales figure and the rental figures over the 5-year period between 2013-2017 revealed an expansion in the number of foreigners who resided in Thailand.
Within this group, 72% of those who purchased condominiums did so for the purpose of self-residency whereas the remaining 28% did so for investment. 21% of the purchases became rental rooms and 7% were resold.
According to data from the registration of residents in the Property Management System (PMS) at projects managed by Plus Property, foreign residents made up between 30 and 50 percent of all tenants at residential projects that were popular among expats.
It goes without saying that expats who come from foreign lands have a variety of interesting and unique living behaviors. Japanese people tend to adhere to the stipulated rules for co-existence, while Westerners tend to place emphasis on the use of the common area and respecting other dwellers.
In order to feel safe and warm, most expats prefer living at a location where there is a congregation of people of their own nationality. The Thong Lo zone presents an example – a large number of Japanese live here because the location allows them to conveniently travel to work and other important places, and there is complete range of shops and amenities that answer to their demands.
Most of them live in condominiums with their family and interact with neighbors of the same nationality in a way that resembles a community. They also participate in activities that can be simultaneously joined in by their family and neighbors.
Therefore, management and administration have to be prepared in a way that will foster a harmonious coexistence, at residential projects with many foreign occupants.
Within the preliminary steps in residence management and administration, communication is of paramount importance. Communication is what allows each project occupant to understand one another and the management.
Thus, it is the responsibility of each project’s management to act as the medium in communicating the rules of co-living to occupants of all nationalities.
The management should continually train employees to increase their knowledge, and bring in personnel who can communicate in other languages; these employees will then be able to communicate in the same language as project occupants who were foreigners (such as in Chinese and Japanese).
Efforts to improve services for foreign occupants have been observed in the business of residential property management. This elevation of service is aimed at answering to the needs of Thai and foreign residents, in a setting that has both cultural and language diversity.
As a case in point, Plus Property, in its capacity as the manager of condominium projects with some of the most prevalent foreign populations, arranges the registration of the occupant as the first process to be experienced by a foreign resident who moves in.
During this process, the new resident is informed of the rules of co-living as well as the dos and don’ts. These are presented in easy-to-understand infographics. Information relevant to residency is also communicated to residents for their acknowledgement and good understanding.
One other area where PLUS has been actively pursuing is the training of staff. In the aspect of service, there is ongoing effort to lift the level of service to become comparable with 5-star hotels and to provide service through professional butlers.
Staff is also being trained to be able to communicate in more than two languages, to better respond to the needs of residents. They will make possible help desks staffed by personnel who can communicate in a third language.
Furthermore, activities continue to take place under the campaign Beautiful Community – Happiness Starts at Home. These activities bring together the occupants of a residential project and give them opportunities to get to know one another, and reinforce the feeling of co-existence within the same community.
The activities are organized with consideration given to demands from foreign occupants. Example activities include Thai dessert classes, festive activities such as Loi Krathong, DIY activities that can be joined in by the whole family, and special activities celebrating important events on foreign calendars such as Tanabata, also known as Japan’s Star Festival.
Learning and understanding the differences among cultures is an important key to allowing the management of a residential project to efficiently ensure the well-being of occupants. Understanding is the starting point in building relations within a residential community.
In addition, there is a need for the capabilities to provide services efficiently and provide solutions to the demands of occupants of all nationalities. Professionalism in management and administration allows for harmonious co-existence among all residents of the community, amidst cultural diversity.
Plus Property is a professional real estate agency that provides comprehensive assistance in reselling/letting properties and the purchasing of second-hand condominium units. Our experienced team of professional agents also offers consultation on all residential property matters. For additional information on condominium projects, call 02 688 7555, or click here to find units available for sale and rent.
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