Do you know the best ways to handle maintenance issues for your Warner Robins rental property?
Maintenance and repairs can become an area of contention between a landlord and a tenant.
Handle repairs fast and properly. Now that we have your attention, let’s make a short story long…
One of the most demanding parts of being a professional landlord is not keeping up with the maintenance and repairs… unless you make it that way. If your tenants aren’t doing their part to maintain the house, the problems can get even worse. Some landlords will hire property management companies to help, but that will only cut into their profits. Below, we offer several ways to help you professionally and effectively handle maintenance issues for your Warner Robins rental property. Properly being able to handle issues as they arise will save you time and money in the long run.
Create Open Lines of Communication
Having a great relationship with tenants can be beneficial for many reasons. You’ll want them to feel comfortable coming to you if there is a problem. Some tenants will let maintenance issues go unrepaired and will not tell the landlord because they don’t want to “deal” with the property manager. Make it easy for tenants to reach you and don’t make it seem like a burden. Make calling you as welcoming as you can. Also, use “incentives” to make “not calling” more of a problem for them. Being helpful and maintaining the house properly will provide you with many long term benefits. Have that talk that reminds them that you both want to keep the house in good order.
Create A Process
Within your lease, there should be a detailed explanation of how maintenance requests should be handled. Make it easy for the tenant to submit their request by using a standardized form or an online submission process. Encourage your tenant to be as detailed as possible with their requests so that you are able to resolve them as quickly as possible. Let your tenants know that requests that are non-emergency will be handled within a specific timeframe. Typically 24-48 hours depending on the problem. Tenants like landlords that are proactive with repair requests.
Keep Records
As a landlord, you will need to keep records of everything repaired. Not only so you will know when maintenance is due, but also for financial and tax purposes. Keeping detailed records might seem like overkill, but it will help you greatly in the long run. Create a maintenance schedule for every property in your portfolio. Recurring repairs can show a pattern that the tenant may be causing and ultimately need to pay for.
Keep track of when repairs are made and how much they cost. Using an online maintenance request system can help you easily keep track of what was done and when. There are numerous systems out there, many of which offer free trial periods so you can test out the system’s functionality for yourself!
Prevention Is Key
One way to avoid major problems or urgent maintenance request is to be proactive about maintenance and repairs. Just because you aren’t living there, doesn’t mean the property shouldn’t be maintained on a set schedule. When creating a schedule, you’ll want to stick to it. If you are using a property management company, they can help you stay on track with everything that needs to be done in order to maintain the home.
As a landlord, like Double D property Solutions, we provide air filters and quarterly newsletters to the tenants to remind them to care for the house they are renting.
Your lease should give you the right to inspect the property any time during business hours with reasonable notice. Take advantage of these inspections so you can thoroughly assess what may need to be repaired in the home. Do a walk through with your tenant so they can point out any additional problems you may not have been aware of. You don’t want to be invasive, be sure to give your tenant as much notice as possible regarding the inspection. We deliver Christmas baskets to the tenants as a sneaky way to see the house and look like a hero.
To learn more about how to handle maintenance issues for your Warner Robins rental property, get in touch with our team today! (478) 256-9947