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After property taxes and utilities, employee costs are usually a landlord’s largest costs, and so controlling that cost is important. However, before thinking that offering the lowest wages you can get away with is a good idea, remember that employee satisfaction and stability has a direct impact on resident satisfaction and keeping that high is also important. As a result, determining employee compensation requires fine judgment.

Many industries use employee compensation surveys to gain information to help make the necessary judgments about wages, salaries and bonuses. Until 2009 the Canadian rental housing industry did not have such a survey. In 2009 the Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations (CFAA) launched a professional survey of employee compensation and benefits in the rental housing industry in most major cities across Canada. The survey was extremely well received.

CFAA decided to make the survey bi-annual; and so, it is now being performed again in 2011, capturing wages, salaries and benefits as of April 1, 2011.

The survey will help property managers manage compensation costs by reporting the market salary and wage rates for property managers, superintendents, leasing agents and maintenance technicians for every major city across Canada. Wage rates will be reported at the mean and median and at the 25th and 75th percentiles. That allows employers to know whether their wages are out of line and by how much.

For larger cities including the Greater Toronto Area, the survey will also include positions which are used in larger or more particular operations such as Regional Manager, Marketing Manager, Maintenance Manager; Property Assistant Manager, Property Administrator, Legal Administrator/Paralegal, Property Accountant, Security Guard and Doorman/Concierge.

In many cases, wherever the data permits, the survey consultant will stratify the results by company size and building size, and by building type (i.e. high-end, mid-range and affordable).

The 2011 survey will cover Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, the Greater Toronto area, Hamilton-Burlington, Waterloo Region, London, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.

Compensation and benefits information will be confidential to the survey consultant ONLY. Survey participants will have access to the survey reports at substantially lower prices than landlords who do not provide their wage data.

If you are a property owner or manager with a building or 50 units or more in any of those fourteen cities (100 or more in Toronto), you may receive the survey questionnaire from your local apartment association.

If you have not received a compensation survey questionnaire and want to participate, please contact Steven Osiel, Vice-President, Pal Benefits Inc., toll free at 1-866-969-8588 or at 416-969-8588 or at survey@palbenefits.com.

The CFAA Compensation survey has been endorsed by apartment associations across Canada and by Canada’s national landlords. Participating in the CFAA Compensation survey will help you operate your rental business in a more cost-effective manner with less staff turnover. Control your employee costs while maximizing tenant satisfaction and retention!