As landlords, we know it’s tough to free up your schedule and carve out time for other important activities. Given your busy schedule, we can understand if you quickly forget some of your assignments, especially concerning your maintenance chores.
Although it’s hard to do all these tasks, you still have to prioritize your rental property maintenance since it will keep your rental home in its best possible shape. By doing this, you can preserve your property’s worth. Moreover, properties that are well-maintained have a higher chance of appreciating in value as time goes on.
Another benefit of rental property maintenance is that it provides your tenants with a pleasant and secure living space by ensuring that all the parts of your property are in excellent functioning condition. Remember that one of the most critical factors in keeping good tenants is ensuring they are satisfied with your rental property.
To comply with local safety standards and housing rules, it is also crucial to have property rental property maintenance. As a landlord, you are expected by state and federal law to ensure that your rental homes meet specific safety requirements. If you don’t follow the law, your tenants or the local government can take legal action against you.
Now that you know how essential rental property maintenance is in your leasing business, it’s time for you to step up and think of ways to do it proactively. We've collected some tips on proactive rental property maintenance to give you some ideas.
Make a Rental Property Maintenance Checklist
A home inspection can help you catch issues and damages in your rental property promptly. It can also check if your property is still in acceptable shape to satisfy the occupancy requirements and save you money on repairs.
As a landlord, you must always write a complete list of things to check each time you do a home inspection. To give you an idea of which ones to include, we gathered here some of the most common things landlords like you must check during a home inspection:
Electrical: Circuit breakers, outlets, smoke detectors, and switches
Exterior: Downspouts, gutters, nearby trees and shrubs, roof, siding, and windows
General: Common areas and pest control
Heating and Cooling System: Air filters, HVAC system, and thermostat
Interior: Appliances, ceilings, floors, hinges, locks, and walls
Plumbing: Drains, faucets, pipes, toilets, and water heater
Safety: Carbon monoxide detectors, entry doors, and fire extinguishers
Evaluate the Costs of Your Yearly Property Maintenance
Many things could happen within a year that your renters may not have noticed. They can even forget to mention minor problems that have come up on your property. Therefore, if you can't make regular inspections, having at least an annual inspection of your rental property would be practical.
By doing this, you can make sure that the damages in your units will not get worse.
We also recommend that you keep an accounting record to estimate your annual rental property maintenance costs. This will help you make a reasonable budget for maintaining your rental homes so you don't lose money.
Maximize the Use of Technology
In this digital age, there are many options for software and online portals that can help you complete your rental property maintenance faster. These can even help you create your budget plans, track your business expenses, and communicate with your tenants.
Some of the smart products that can help you in your rental property maintenance are:
Smart water monitor
This smart technology monitors the salt and temperature levels in your rental units. Using it, you can easily maintain the water quality in your property while avoiding the expensive costs of your boiler repairs. Plus, it can notify you in real-time if there are any leaks, allowing you to repair them quickly.
Smart plugs
This technology can provide many benefits to your rental property business. It helps you save energy, reduce utility costs, and prevent accidental fires that may occur due to short circuits and overcharging of electrical devices.
Ensure that Your Tenants are Well-Informed
As a landlord, it is always better for your business to avoid any misunderstandings and disagreements with your tenants by giving them clear information on the rental unit's maintenance standards. You can achieve this by informing them early during their application process or by providing a written copy of the lease agreement mentioning their duties as tenants and your rental property maintenance rules.
Make sure to inform your tenants and include their maintenance responsibilities in your written rental agreement, such as reporting leaks in their units and changing the light bulbs. Also, it would be helpful if you encouraged them to report problems immediately since finding problems early can stop them from worsening.
Always Think Ahead and Set Plans to Create A Safe Environment
A smart landlord has a complete emergency and safety plan ready at all times. You must anticipate things that could happen in the future that might affect your rental property and tenants. Some of the examples are unexpected natural disasters like extreme summer and winter or possible flooding due to typhoons or heavy rains.
Set aside a specific budget for future repairs and rental property maintenance. A clear and well-structured plan can ensure the safety of both your tenants and rental property.
Keep Up With the Latest Rental Property News and Updates
Another way to proactively do your rental property maintenance is to stay updated on the newest trends and best ways to take care of your rental home. Knowing the latest news about landlord-tenant law in your state would also be helpful. There are several ways to keep yourself in the loop such as:
Attending workshops
Joining groups about rental properties
Networking with other landlords
Reading or subscribing to real estate industry publications
Find Reliable Contractors for Your Property Maintenance and Repairs
You might be one of those landlords with a great skillset in maintenance and repairs, but it is still better if you can quickly call a dependable contractor from your phonebook. They will come in handy for those repairs and maintenance that need a professional inspection and touch.
Partner With A Qualified Professional Property Manager!
We understand that you, as a landlord, have a difficult time keeping up with the repairs and rental property maintenance. This is especially true when you live far away from your rental properties.
You must have a qualified professional who is always ready to respond whenever major or specialized repairs need to be made in your rental units. By doing so, you can guarantee the accuracy and security of the repairs.
At Platinum Property Management, proactive maintenance of your home and investment is a top priority. Our renters have access to a secure platform where they can conveniently submit maintenance requests online with a single click. We also have dependable vendors who can respond quickly to each of your tenants' concerns.
We also don’t charge hidden fees, so you may save more than $200,000 on rental property maintenance!
Book a property consultation now and discover the benefits of having a reliable and professional property management company for your rental property business.
