Are you a landlord juggling property finances and maintenance at the same time? Do you have property on rent that is being neglected by you? Are you wondering if there is an easy way around this, if there is some way you can understand the critical elements and manage your rental property maintenance on your own without hiring a professional? If these are some of the questions on your mind, you are in the right place.
This is a complete and comprehensive guide to maintaining your rental property, and also includes a rental property maintenance checklist for your benefit. Regularly maintaining your property not only increases its value for the tenants, but it also increases the property value if and when you put it up for sale.
Everyone is willing to pay more for a well-maintained place. If your property is maintained regularly, you will know what is going on at all times and when your tenant is the one at fault and liable to pay for the damages. If you have never kept a check, you will never know what went wrong when.
But What Is Property Maintenance?
Property maintenance is the monitoring and maintaining of your property with the help of regular safety checks, cleaning, pest control, and the fixing of any minor repair work that needs attention. This is so that there is no need for any major repair work later. Property that is regularly maintained and taken care of is valued more by estate agents and tenants alike. It also adds to your reputation which gets you more business from the same tenants and even people who pay visits.
Maintenance of property includes preventive and reactive maintenance both. Maintenance of property for rent is even more important. This is because you are earning from this property and it is a source of income for you. The better condition it is in, the more people will be willing to pay.
For instance…
Your tenant contacts you and puts in a maintenance request after noticing a clogged drain. You call a plumber and see who is available when you find the time. By the time you find someone, the clogged drain will have flooded your property and caused more damage than it had earlier.
However, if you had a good property maintenance system in place, then your staff would have been notified automatically if the drain would have been clogged. There are also chances that the drain would have not been clogged at all because of the preventive maintenance and regular checking that this sort of a system entails.
Property Maintenance Worker Types
Property maintenance, in order to be done properly, needs a team of workers. These workers can be divided into three main categories.
First, there is the property manager. His role is managing and maintaining a suitable environment that is safe and hygienic for the people who visit and live in it. This means always making sure of the cleanliness of the place and that all appliances are working well. The property manager works by assigning tasks to the janitors and technicians.
There are regular cleaning tasks that are assigned to the second type of property maintenance worker, which is a janitor. The janitor’s role is to keep the premises clean by performing his cleanliness tasks whenever he is asked according to the schedule being followed.
The third type of worker is a technician. He does all the repair work for the property manager whenever he is assigned a task. The technician’s role is very important because he also manages all the outsourced vendors and contractors that come to service the premises when the technician isn’t able to or the task becomes too technical for him.
What Sort Of Buildings Utilize Property Maintenance?
You may be wondering what are the types of buildings that actually utilize property maintenance and benefit the most from it. The answer to that would be almost all buildings that are a source of income to its owners because the most benefit is derived from commercial property maintenance.
Examples are hotels, restaurants, community centers, apartment complexes, offices, retirement homes, and even shops. Most of these buildings have elevators, HVAC units, and boilers, all of which need regular maintenance. They may also have larger areas and spaces like parking lots and hallways that need regular cleaning.
What About Training And Certifications?
Getting your technicians to earn certifications validates their skills and knowledge and also boosts their confidence. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has accredited a program called the CAMT program that issues a certificate by the same name.
The certification is called Certificate for Apartment Maintenance Technicians (CAMT). You have to train your technicians and workers to study the course and show efficiency in processing work orders and doing repair work so that they can pass the course and obtain the certificate.
The Importance Of A Rental Property Maintenance Schedule
Why is it important to keep a schedule? When we don’t have a schedule, we do things in a haphazard way. A schedule organizes our way of doing things. It lets us organize and regularize our tasks.
With a schedule, you always know where you are on the maintenance radar and what your property looks like today. Does it need a thorough cleaning? Is it already clean? Does it need any repairs? Is it safe currently? All these questions have an answer when you manage a property maintenance schedule. A schedule also helps you realize what your duties are as a landlord and when the tenant has to pay for any damages.
A Complete And Comprehensive Rental Property Maintenance Checklist
Commercial property maintenance is even more important than the property you own and live in yourself. This is because the value of the property is directly proportional to the level of maintenance it gets. A well-maintained property is always worth more and there is always going to be more demand for it.
A comprehensive maintenance checklist can help you keep track of the tasks that already been done and what is yet to be accomplished. It is an excellent means of keeping a check on your property and its maintenance.
Here is a general preventive maintenance checklist built for your convenience. Some items may not apply to you depending on the kind of arrangement you have with your tenant.
Rental Property Maintenance Checklist
- Provide appropriate garbage disposal bins and arrange for a dumpster service so that your premises can be kept clean
- Daily cleaning of all the common areas. These include the parking lot, hallways, stairways, etc.
- Weekly check, maintenance, and repair of lighting and other fixtures in the common areas
- Annual landscaping and pruning of trees
- Quarterly pest check and control and extermination
- Bi-annual gutter and sewerage inspection and maintenance
- Bi-annual boiler check and maintenance
- Check and ensure there are no water issues and running water is available at all times
- Quarterly security check on all doors, windows, and all the installed security systems
- Annual checks and tests for all safety devices installed such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers
- Quarterly check and maintenance for the cooling and heating systems of the premises so that there is no problem in temperature control
- Bi-annual check for leaks and water damage and additional checks after rainstorms and end of winter when the snow has started melting
- Inspect and maintain bathtub and shower caulking to prevent water leakage and further damage
- Bi-annual filter change for the air cooling and heating systems to maximize efficiency
- Bi-annual flushing of the water heater to remove the build-up of sediment
- Monthly plumbing checks and proper installation and venting for the waste line
- Bi-annual check on all electrical wiring, fixtures, and electrical panel
Rental Property Maintenance Checklist for Residential Properties
Residences work a little differently than other commercial property because tenants occupy and also live in these premises. Some pointers are different for a checklist specifically for residences and some are additional. Even this is a general list because, even for residences, countryside property maintenance would be different from maintenance for homes and apartments downtown.
Residence Exterior
- Make sure doors comply with security and fire requirements
- Regular inspections to make sure doors are defect-free and weather-tight
- Inspection of door locks and outdoor security
- House numbers of appropriate height and should be visible from the road
- An annual inspection of the exterior paint and repaint if needed
- Weather protection coats on any wood surfaces
- An annual inspection of the foundation of the premises and the roof and any subsequent maintenance and repair if needed
- Regular inspection of gutters and sewerage
- Appropriate garbage enclosure and disposal system
- Bi-annual inspection of the garage for safety and damage
Residence Interior
- Annual inspection and maintenance of ceilings and walls for paint, cracks, loose tiles, wallpaper, etc
- Annual inspection and maintenance of floors
- Annual inspection and maintenance of all windows and doors
- Bi-annual pest control and extermination
- Bi-annual inspection of bathrooms and kitchens for any work needed
- Plumbing to be installed and maintained properly
- Proper installation of electrical service panel and labeled breakers
- Bi-annual inspection for all wiring to be functional, intact, and safe
- Proper ventilation to be maintained
- Gal lines which are unused to be properly capped
- Smoke alarms should be in working condition at all times
Keeping a checklist and maintaining your property is very important even because of licensing issues. In a lot of states, If you fail to maintain your property in compliance with your city code, you may be subject to fines, reinspection, and court actions.
Why You Need A Preventive Maintenance Software
A lot of maintenance tasks in property maintenance also happen to be reactive maintenance. This is because the tenants often put in requests or complaints when they find something wrong and then a process has to start to inspect and fix the issue.
If, however, you have a good preventive maintenance plan in action like EcoDocs, you will not end up with many reactive maintenance tasks. A preventive maintenance software makes a lot of your tasks easier. It will automate your work orders and make it easier for you to set up emergency protocols for your tenants. Your tenants can immediately connect to your portal and put up their complaint, which can be seen in real-time by you and your team and relevant action be taken.