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When it comes to a landlord's long-term success, there is nothing as important as property maintenance. Rental property maintenance is a catch-all practice that addresses four key interests for landlords:
- It helps keep the property's value up (and can even increase it)
- It helps keep tenant relations friendly, which helps get good reviews
- It's critical to some of the landlord's legal obligations
- It prevents large, costly accidents from occurring
Because proper maintenance does so much, so no landlord should skimp on it. So how can a landlord stay on top of everything they need to? Here are six essential maintenance practices you can implement for a winning property maintenance strategy.
1. Conduct Regular and Thorough Inspections
Conducting routine inspections helps you identify issues before they escalate. A thorough inspection doesn't only reveal the property's maintenance needs; it can also shed light on the root cause of what's causing the damage. Properties and their contents suffer normal wear and tear from everyday use, but a good enough inspection will help you tell the difference between that and some form of negligence.
A non-comprehensive list of things to check includes:
- Checking the woodwork for scratches and termites
- Checking the roof and walls' supports (including foundations)
- Making sure all electrical systems work and are safe
- Looking for leaks or blockages in the plumbing
- Inspecting the HVAC unit
You can schedule less detailed inspections once every three months (or so) and do more thorough inspections annually or semi-annually. Having the tools and materials to do routine maintenance tasks can make things much smoother.
With inspections, you must also ensure your tenants are appropriately notified. Enumerating these on a schedule as part of your lease agreement is an excellent way of addressing this legal requirement.
2. Do Scheduled and Seasonal Maintenance
Different seasons require specific maintenance tasks. For instance, at the end of fall, you'll want to clear your gutters of any leaves. The end of fall is also the latest time to check the heating capabilities of any HVAC or similar systems you might have.
Scheduling your maintenance with the seasons is a handy way to always be prepared. It's also a nifty way to make the first point work better without making your tenants feel like you're constantly spying on them.
The need to do seasonal maintenance increases if you live in a part of the country with more severe winters and summers. In these areas, seasonal maintenance is essential to good investment property maintenance because it keeps the severe weather from eating away at your property's value.
3. "Predict" Your Maintenance Issues
One of the best property upkeep tips our managers have ever given was to pre-emptively prepare for the maintenance issues you can foresee. But what does that mean?
Let's say you know you have an old geyser in a rental unit. It's advisable to keep the value of a new geyser in cash (or available on a credit facility) free so that you can instantly replace the geyser if it breaks.
This simple example can be applied to tile damage (if a family with big dogs moves into your pet-friendly unit), keeping the necessary tools, and any other scenario you can imagine. One thing that also helps these predictions is noting what has broken in the past and preparing for that thing to fail again.
4. Don't Ignore Bugs
Pest prevention and control should never be overlooked. Letting an infestation occur can lead to many unnecessary hassles and expenses.
Tenants tend to report abnormal numbers of bugs and vermin quite quickly. Don't hesitate to call an exterminator the minute that call comes in. If you don't, pests can damage electrical wiring and the building's structure, making the place entirely uninhabitable from a legal perspective.
The exterminator isn't your only friend on this point. Fixing plumbing and reducing clutter can help make your rental unit less appetizing to critters. It's also good to educate your tenants about what they should do to avoid getting overrun.
5. Respond to Rental Property Maintenance Requests Quickly
Tenants also play a considerable role in rental property care. They'll let you know if something needs to be fixed urgently. It's important to be able to respond to these requests quickly.
The best approach to this point has two legs. The first is that you'll want to be able to receive the message quickly. These days, nothing fulfills this task better than an all-in-one tenant portal.
Tenant portals provide an efficient platform for tenants to log maintenance requests, pay rent, and more. They automate a lot of a property manager or landlord's job and help with complete and accurate record keeping.
The second leg is flexibility. If you handle maintenance yourself, you'll need time to address problems personally if they arise. Alternatively, you'll need some form of financial flexibility to get contractors or a property manager to handle the issue for you.
6. Keep Accurate and Organized Records
Keeping detailed records of all maintenance activities is essential for tracking the property's condition. The more data you have, the better your understanding of the time and costs associated with various maintenance tasks will be. Documentation also provides legal protection in the event of disputes with tenants regarding property conditions (for security deposit purposes)
The best way to do this is by making and keeping digital copies of every receipt, invoice, and work order. You can do this simply by using a PDF scanning app and a Google Drive folder. There are also more professional solutions available, including ones that are tailor-made for property management (like a tenant portal).
What Are Rental Property Maintenance Best Practices?
To recap, the six practices you could implement for the optimal property maintenance approach are:
- Conduct inspections regularly
- Schedule your maintenance according to the season
- Predict and preempt your maintenance needs
- Ensure that you make pest control a priority
- Respond promptly when tenants lodge maintenance requests
- Keep detailed records of all your maintenance tasks and expenses
By building a rental property maintenance strategy around these points, you're guaranteed to fulfill all your commercial and legal requirements. At PMI, we pride ourselves on being one of the most experienced property management groups in the country.
Contact us today if you're a landlord, investor, or property manager looking for unbeatable insights and partnership opportunities.
