Live With Integrity

Good resident managers – the on-site property managers who manage day-to-day business at their place of residence – possess certain traits: chief among them, a knack for creative problem-solving, a good, old-fashioned work ethic, and a skill for interacting with people. What separates a great RM from a good RM, however, are human qualities, like compassion, empathy, and transparency – all possessed in spades by Brandon Delgado, the manager of two Hayes Valley apartment buildings.

Brandon knows taking care of his neighbors is a 24/7 gig, full of late-night phone calls and all-hours detective work. A consummate multi-tasker with years of experience managing buildings, Brandon has honed a Sherlock Holmesian intuition and a knack for expecting the unexpected that serve him well in his everyday duties. But it’s his deep passion for helping others that brings out Brandon’s true standout qualities. Whether managing a crisis or handling business as usual, he maintains open lines of communication, offers a calming presence, and consistently goes above and beyond for his residents.

Brandon weathers even the most urgent emergencies with an even keel. One Friday night had all the makings of an RM’s worst nightmare: an evening phone call, a flooded lobby with no sign of the offending leak, and a rapidly rising water level. Leaning on his expertise, Brandon called a plumber, located the leak, and shut off water to the buildings, coolly mitigating the impending disaster. There was just one problem – his residents were going be without water until a plumber could arrive in the morning to fix the issue.

Rather than give vague assurances about the project, Brandon immediately delivered the bad news to both buildings’ residents. Transparency is something he takes great pride in – being up front about the issue turned what could have been a deluge of negative responses into a series of grateful texts thanking him for the explanation. “Being transparent helps a lot,” he says. “It seems like many residents expect the worst, but when I tell them what happened, they are much more understanding. We are all in the same boat. What affects them, affects me.”

Repair work began early the next morning and revealed a far more extensive process than initially estimated. Attuned to the needs of his neighbors, Brandon proactively purchased a gallon of water for each resident, then distributed the water from each building’s lobby. It was enough to tide everyone over until a pipe was replaced and water was turned back on that evening.

It wasn’t the first time Brandon’s compassionate approach allowed him to diffuse a challenging situation, and it won’t be the last. His guiding principle remains the same – treat people the way you would want to be treated. Engaging his neighbors with openness and care has earned Brandon the respect of his fellow Hayes Valley residents, even in difficult times. At the end of the day, there is a simple metric of success, says Brandon with a laugh: “They still like me, so that’s good!”

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