CLIENT SATISFACTION IN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT BY ESTATE SURVEYORS AND VALUERS AND LEGAL PRACTITIONERS: A CASE OF RIVTAF GOLF ESTATE, PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA

Abstract

There has been clamor by Estate Surveyors and Valuers that her statutorily role of which property management forms part is being infiltrated by other personnel, professionals and non-professionals inclusive. The lawyers are regarded as the major rival in this statutory duty. The study thereby studied the satisfaction derived by clients, either as tenants or landlords, who are the end users of this service provided when the management of properties is done by estate surveyors and valuers and when managed by lawyers. The study which had a focus on RIVTAF Golf Estate, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State was aimed at determining if any significant difference exists between the satisfaction of clients in property management handled by the two professionals. The study entailed the distribution of 286 questionnaires of which 249 were retrieved. The collected data were properly presented in frequency and percentage tables and analyzed using the Chi-square test of significance to verify the hypotheses. The study revealed a significant difference in the satisfaction of client from management of properties managed by both professionals. However, the difference was not significant when compared amongst clients in the management of properties by estate surveyors and valuers particularly with respect to collection of rents and other required rates and also being seem as having the requisite skills to act as property managers. The study however enjoined estate surveyors and valuers in gaining mastery of management of the property so as to avoid needless competition amongst other professionals/ personnel.