Property maintenance issues are a part of life as a landlord. However, it is essential to not get easily frustrated and handle tenant maintenance requests effectively to keep the property habitable. Doing so requires you to have a streamlined process that lets you track and complete all requests in an organized manner.
Curated through our property management experience, here are some of the expert practices you can adopt for efficiently completing maintenance requests.
Maintain Strong Relationships With Dayton Vendors
Local vendors and contractors can help you resolve tenants’ repair requests significantly faster which makes it necessary to maintain good vendor relationships and develop a bond of trust. If you are hiring vendors for the first time, screen them to ensure that they are professional, licensed, reliable and that their service charges suit your budget. Re-hiring the same contractors will also help you build a positive and long-term relationship, decreasing turnaround time for emergency requests.
Prioritize Emergency Maintenance Requests for Your Dayton Rental Property
It might seem obvious, but landlords should prioritize emergency maintenance requests as it might be a severe issue like a fire, electricity failure, or flooding in the house, making the unit uninhabitable.
Have a direct line of communication for such emergencies so that tenants may reach out to you immediately. Any delay can pose a threat to the renters’ life and your Dayton investment.
Prepare A Maintenance Budget
Before resolving any maintenance issues, it is essential to calculate the repair costs. If any exceeds your budget, your total return on investment (ROI) reduces and your financials can be affected. To create a proper maintenance budget, factor in the previous year’s expenses and seasonal maintenance and repair costs.
However, a maintenance budget is only worth the effort if the damage to your property or repairs are significant. Minor damages and repairs that do not cost a significant amount can be quickly fixed without an elaborate budget.
Provide a Timely Response
Tenants value consistent communication from their landlord as it makes them feel heard. It also eliminates potential inconveniences due to miscommunication. By providing access to multiple modes of communication, you can assure your tenant that their concerns will be addressed promptly. If you have multiple tenants, you can prioritize responses based on the severity of the issues.
Keep A Thorough Record of all Requests
If you have multiple tenants, it is necessary to keep records of all documents related to maintenance. It will help you keep track of the written repair requests and monitor the progress effectively. It also provides clarity about when the request was made, what it entailed, and how it was handled.
Many Dayton landlords keep records of such documents on cloud-based owner and tenant portals. Different property management software, like TenantCloud or Rentec Direct can help you easily handle maintenance requests. These software tools can be quite costly for a private landlord, and you may wish to reach out to a property management company in Dayton for help.
Focus On Preventative Maintenance
One of the best ways to minimize maintenance issues and their severity is by focusing on preventative maintenance. With this, you can easily ensure that your rental is in great shape. Preventative maintenance practices primarily include regular inspections and ensuring all the utilities like plumbing and HVAC systems in the rental unit are functional.
Get Follow-Up Feedback About the Issue
Once the problem is resolved, follow up with the tenant and check if the issue persists. Get to know their satisfaction with the service and their experience with the contractor. You can also get feedback from the maintenance specialist about the tenants to know if they were cooperating well. It will help improve the relationships between you, the tenant, and the contractor, thus paving the way for efficiently completing potential future requests.
Handling all maintenance issues and requests single-handedly can be challenging. Therefore, many landlords prefer to hire a qualified Dayton property manager to handle the property’s maintenance needs.
ManCo Property Services has been operational in Ohio for more than three decades, providing our clients with a wide range of property management services, including extensive repairs and maintenance. We aim to provide a safe and healthy residence to our tenants and help landlords tackle challenges like timely fulfillment of maintenance requests.
Contact us at ManCo Property Services for more assistance.
