As a landlord, one of your most pressing responsibilities is making sure your property is properly maintained. Yet your tenant might be nervous to reach out to you about maintenance concerns for various reasons.
That’s why it’s so important to make sure your tenants understand they can report maintenance issues. Problems with your property not only affect the quality of life of your tenant but the continued success of your real estate investment now and in the future. Not frequently checking for maintenance concerns, even if it’s awkward to find a time to visit your rental properties, can not only cause dissatisfaction among tenants and damage the landlord-tenant relationship but also lead to property damage. All of that taken into account, here are maintenance issues you should be frequently checking for and repair quickly:
Heating/cooling systems
Whether it’s cold outside or the hottest day of the summer, it’s no fun to be without heating and cooling for any length of time. It also could be dangerous for your tenants. Yet depending on where your property is located and the time of the year, it can be difficult to find a quality maintenance/repair company that can arrive at your property quickly. At PMI Perimeter, we have relationships with a wide range of maintenance professionals that can respond to problems with your rental property quickly, efficiently and affordably.
Appliances
Especially around the holidays, appliances like ovens, microwaves, refrigerators and dishwashers are important components of daily life. If one stops working in your rental property, it’s important to replace or repair them as quickly as humanly possible.
Fire/Carbon Monoxide Alarms
These life-saving devices are critical and should be monitored regularly and replaced on a recommended schedule. That’s because if these devices malfunction or need new batteries, it can be a safety hazard. Also when these little buggers need maintenance, the shrill shrieking sound they make is enough to drive anyone to a DIY solution. So, if you’d like to keep your tenants safe, and keep them from knocking the smoke detector off the ceiling and chucking it out the window, keep this on your list! Check that they’re working correctly and have fully charged batteries.
Water heater
Nothing ruins your day like really needing a shower and having the hot water run out too early, except for maybe when you’re running late and the shower is taking an eternity to heat up. Either way, ample access to a liberal supply of hot water is necessary to keep the relationship between you and your tenants amicable. Consistently make sure that the water heaters are in working order before you have a teeth-chattering confrontation!
Pests
As the weather changes throughout the year, insects and small animals will inevitably try to wriggle their way onto your property and become your tenant’s newest roommate (without even signing a lease.) Again, it’s important to understand as a landlord that pests aren’t always the fault of a tenant. Someone can have the most sparkling clean and tidy home and a rat would still rather be there than out in the cold. Contact your tenant and make a plan for consistent pest prevention.
Water leaks
Leaky toilets and dripping faucets are not only water-wasters but can lead to damage to your property if left unrepaired. Taking care of any water-related issues early and promptly is important. Encourage your tenants to report any water-related issues, and make sure they know where the home’s water shut-off valve is located in the event of a catastrophic water problem.
Little things
Little problems add up to the perception that your rental property isn’t properly maintained. A squeaky door, a drawer that doesn’t sit right, a dryer with a broken belt that screams like a teenage girl in a horror film. All these issues seem small. They’re probably small enough for a tenant to not feel the need to reach out to you about them. However, these kinds of small annoyances are what define the time a tenant lives on your property. The more content and at home your tenant feels the easier life is for you. Especially if your tenant is hesitant to reach out to you, asking them if they have any small maintenance concerns like this will make them so much more comfortable with you.
At PMI Perimeter, we’ll keep your Atlanta area rental property in optimal condition. We have relationships with a wide variety of maintenance and repair companies and can handle all maintenance requests and coordinate repairs for you. We also handle regular in-person inspections that make it easier to identify potential problems earlier, when they are the least expensive to repair. It’s one of many different areas of being a landlord that we can help with. Let’s talk! We’re here to help landlords be successful and protect their investments. Call us at (678) 679-8308.
