To Josh Svec, founder and CEO of Treepad Property Management of Halifax, “our best achievement is when one of our tenants who is leaving refers a brand new tenant to us.”

It happens more often than you might think for the nimble, people-oriented company that specializes in managing multi-family and residential cash-flow rental units—including for students—to provide small, private landlords like doctors and retired professionals with full occupancy and peace of mind.

“Recently, we didn’t even have to put up advertising at St. F.X University in Antigonish,” Svec says. “Students were just emailing us saying they wanted to live in our properties. That speaks pretty persuasively to our management philosophy.”

That philosophy—which brings professionalism, order, and com- passion to what can otherwise be a cutthroat industry—has been good for Svec’s business. Established in 2006, the company currently maintains 97 properties—mostly homes across Halifax Regional Municipality, Antigonish and the Annapolis Valley—offering a one-stop shop of services, including real estate brokering, from its team of trained professionals.

What makes it work, Svec says, is the emphasis on relationships. “Our clients are those who have a bit of capital to invest in real estate. They are determined to treat tenants like people and they want tenants who will treat the properties like real homes.”

He adds: “It’s a delicate dance—protecting tenants rights, following the bylaws, making sure they take pride in the homes they are renting, as well as making the most money possible for our clients.”

Fortunately, it’s a dance he’s delighted to perform. “The pay-offs are enormous: happy, motivated clients and tenants, and a staff that’s always willing to go the extra distance.”—