Interview with Javier Ortiz, member administrator of Meridional

Welcome to our blog. Today we want to bring to this blog our member administrator Javier Ortíz. The aim is for you to get to know him a little better and for him to tell in his own words what it means to him to be in Meridional and to put his work at the service of the team and our communities.

Q-What does it mean to be a member and what are the advantages for the community?

Not all administrators can be members of a professional association. This requires the accreditation of a professional qualification that not all of them have.

Belonging to the Colegio de Administradores de Fincas as a member means being part of a Public Law Corporation with its own legal personality and full capacity for the fulfilment of its aims, which is governed by its own Statutes and internal regulations, and is protected by Law.

Therefore, a Community of Property Owners managed by a registered Property Administrator has the security not only of being in the hands of good professionals but also the guarantee of being protected by the rules of a Public Law entity which entails the existence, among others, of a civil liability insurance that covers all the contingencies that may be caused by one of its members.

P. So, what are the disadvantages for the community of relying on a non-registered administrator?

Mainly, not being subject to the discipline and rules of a public law corporation may result in the Community not being adequately protected against inappropriate or improper professional practices that may cause harm and damage to the community.

Q-How can property administrators help the coexistence within the communities?

A manager must have good communication skills, a certain level of emotional intelligence, have skills in conflict management, negotiation, mediation and problem solving, because sooner or later they will end up appearing in the community and you will need all those skills to offer a realistic and calm solution.

Q. Does this also apply to community boards?

Of course it is. Leading and managing a residents' meeting is often not easy either, and for everything to go smoothly during the celebration, in addition to the above, it is necessary to know how to handle person-to-person relations.

If you don't like people, if you just want comfort and not to be bothered with defaulters or conflicts; or if you want to be in a community to sell more services, my opinion is that you should not become a property manager.

Q-How important is transparency to you?

It is unavoidable. The code of ethics of the College is very clear on these issues. But in any case it is the fundamental pillar of your work. An administrator's most important asset is his or her reputation.

Q-What lines of work are you pursuing at Meridional?

Always give a professional and real response that solves the problem that the community has at that moment, and of course in accordance with the law so as not to harm the owners.

A characteristic of Meridional is to always have an active dialogue with all owners and communities, and I want to contribute to keep it that way.