Owning rental property requires you to respond immediately to emergency repairs and routine maintenance. This is something landlords have to manage when tenants are asking for help or reporting things that aren’t working.
Preventative maintenance is equally important, and something that you need to pay attention to if you want to protect the condition of your investment and provide a well-maintained home for your best tenants.
Move-in and Annual Inspections
Performing property inspections before, after, and during the lease period is critical. At Bayshore Property Management, we suggest owners do full inspections consistently. During the move-in inspection, you want to document the condition of your property and look for anything that may need to be fixed or replaced before your tenant takes possession. This is also a good time to take care of preventative maintenance issues. Have the heating and cooling unit inspected and serviced by a qualified technician. Check the appliances and the plumbing. Make sure the electric outlets are all working.
Your annual inspection should include making sure everything works properly. Look for signs of tenant damage and talk to your tenant about any unreported or deferred maintenance items that need attention. You also want to make sure your tenant is following the terms of your lease agreement.
If you notice that something needs attention during these inspections, handle it right away. Small problems are easier to fix and a lot less expensive than the major problems that can result from leaving a repair need unmet.
Training and Communicating with Tenants
It’s important that your tenants understand what is expected of them when it comes to maintaining your property and reporting problems. The responsibilities of tenants depend on the rental home and the owner. You might want your tenants to take care of landscaping and lawn care themselves, or you might want to hire a professional service. In most cases, tenants are at least responsible for keeping the home in good shape and making small repairs like replacing light bulbs and paying for utilities. Decide what you want your tenants to do and what should be left to professionals.
Communicate well with your tenants if you want to keep your property maintained. Make sure they understand that it’s necessary to report any problems or maintenance issues right away. They should always know how to contact you or your property manager.
Preventative Maintenance and Professional Barrie Property Management
There are a lot of excellent reasons to work with a professional property management company in Barrie, but one of the best reasons is to ensure your asset and its value is protected. A good property manager will take care of all maintenance, including preventative maintenance.
We maintain a $500 reserve for owners before reaching out. We know you don’t want to be bothered with approving minor repairs, but we’ll never authorize a large project without discussing it with you.
Our maintenance services are also customized to meet your unique needs. We have no problem tweaking what we do for specific owners and their tenants. We also own a construction company, which means all repairs, turnovers, and assessments are done efficiently and at the lowest possible cost. You’ll never be waiting for a vendor’s schedule to clear so you can finally get a roof repaired or a water heater replaced.
We offer preferred pricing and in-house maintenance staff for everything your rental property may need. If you have any questions about preventative maintenance, please contact us at Bayshore Property Management.