Ensuring that maintenance is handled efficiently and affordably is one of the things we specialize in at A+ Realty Management. Today, we’re sharing some ideas on how to make sure that your home is well-maintained. You want your tenants to understand the process of reporting repair needs, and you also want to make sure that there isn’t any deferred maintenance building up that will only cost you more in the long run.
Have a Reporting Process in Place
When you’re working with your tenant on moving into the property, make sure you go over how you expect maintenance to be requested. Your lease agreement should also include instructions on how to request a repair. With our property management team, tenants and owners can put in a maintenance request three different ways:
They can log into their online portal and create a request from there.
They can phone our call center and report it to the people who answer.
Or, they can contact our office directly and have our receptionist submit a work order.
Having an online reporting system is especially beneficial because it creates a written record of the maintenance that is requested and performed on your property. Whatever your process, make sure your tenant understands it, and be sure your tenant has all the necessary contact information.
Obtaining Approval for Requested Work
Our process is to create the work order and then have our service manager contact you to get approval for the work. If you’re managing your own home, you’ll have to make a decision on whether the work is necessary and how quickly you want to do the repair. Don’t ignore small issues. It might seem like a hassle to fix a dripping sink or repair a hole in a window screen, but prompt attention to maintenance will keep your tenants happy and protect your property. Small problems never get cheaper with time. Take care of issues while they’re manageable.
You’ll need to have a list of reliable vendors you can call when you have a repair that’s needed. We recommend you work with licensed and insured contractors only. Otherwise, you’re opening yourself up to a lot of liability and putting yourself and your property at risk. Make sure you have relationships with these vendors in place before you need them. For example, if you don’t have a plumber that you work with regularly and your tenant calls in the middle of the night with a major leak at the house, it’s not going to be easy to find someone to come out and fix it right away. Good vendor relationships are important.
Completing the Repair Work
After we receive your approval to go ahead with the repairs that are needed, our service manager schedules them directly with the tenant. Your tenant will need to cooperate with you and your vendors when work is needed at your property. You don’t necessarily need them to be home, but they do need to know when someone is coming to fix whatever is broken. After the work is complete, follow up with your tenant and make sure the issue was repaired satisfactorily.
If you have any questions about to handle maintenance at your Spring Hill rental property, please contact us at A+ Realty Management. We’d be happy to tell you more about our process.
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