Maintenance Tips for Your Rental Properties
Proper maintenance is important for every property. A well-maintained property is attractive to tenants and can help you retain high-quality, long-term tenants. As a property owner, it’s important to ensure that the property is always in top condition. This will reduce your property’s vacancy periods and help improve its reputation to prospective tenants.
Having a well-maintained property also helps to improve the relationship between a landlord and their tenants. Tenants tend to feel more respected and appreciated in properties that are cared for. Happy tenants are also more likely to follow rules and regulations.
MTD Property Management has several tips on how you can best maintain your rental property. We’re the leading property management company based in Chicago. Managing a wide range of properties, we can help with anything from single-family homes to multi-rentals and apartment units.
Clearly Outline Each Party’s Responsibilities
One way a landlord can ensure that they protect the relationship with their tenants is through the clarity of each party’s responsibilities. Knowing which party is responsible for certain maintenance issues will also help avoid carelessness and misuse.
Some of the responsibilities often granted to tenants include regular cleaning of their spaces, minor maintenance and repairing items in their units.
In general, landlords take care of the overall maintenance of common areas as well as electrical, heating, plumbing, and cleaning services.
Establish Clear Communication Channels with Your Tenants
As a landlord, it’s important to ensure that tenants are able to reach you whenever there’s an issue. Alternatively, you can have a system in place where tenants are able to register their complaints. Once an issue is brought forward, ensure that it is handled as fast as possible and that the tenant is notified about any progress regarding the issue.
Having such a clear system will greatly improve the relationship between you and your tenants. This can also help create long-term and responsible tenants that will ease the management process for you.
Perform Routine Inspections
Another helpful tip to maintaining your property is regularly inspecting the building. Routine inspections ensure that you are always in the know about the current condition of the property and help to identify issues.
This could help avoid minor maintenance issues going unchecked and becoming a hazard to tenants. Catching these issues in their early stages can also save you money as they’re usually easier to fix with a smaller budget.
Some of the basic items you should inspect during a property inspection are:
- Appliances. Ensure that all appliances are functional. Record if there are any appliances that are faulty. Assess whether the defect is a result of tenant negligence or normal wear and tear.
- General condition of the building. Thoroughly inspect the condition of the floors, window and door locks, cabinets, handrails, stairs, and elevators (if applicable). Again, ensure that you record any issues detected during an inspection and make sure that they are fixed as soon as possible.
- Health and sanitation. Check for pests and mold focusing on any drainage, plumbing, and heating appliances.
- Legal checks. Ensure that there are adequate escape routes and make sure that they are accessible at all times. Remember to inspect the fire alarm systems and smoke detectors.
- HVAC systems. It’s very important to regularly inspect the HVAC system and ensure that it is functional. Ensure that the air ducts are open and clean. Check the belts and bearings. Make sure to also check the air filters and have them replaced if necessary.
It’s also important to involve a technician during the inspections. The technician is able to check for the signs of a faulty appliance and give their expert advice on how to move forward. Remember to always keep a record of your inspection.
Hire Professional Contractors and Technicians
If you want quality services then you’ll need to hire professionals. Before hiring a technician, make sure that they have the right credentials to certify their professionalism. You can even ask your fellow landlords for recommendations on professional contractors.
It is also wise to have a contract with your technicians. This will help you avoid the small fees every time the technician comes over for inspection. Having a contract works best for you in terms of budgeting. You’ll be able to correctly estimate the amount of money in your budget that’ll be spent on technicians and other service providers.
Ensure That You Budget Your Money
As a landlord, you should be ready to deal with the signs of normal wear and tear and either fix or replace the worn-down amenity. By having some money set aside from the rental income, you’ll be ready to keep your property in the best condition. By doing this, you’re also able to avoid delaying repair and maintenance projects due to a lack of funds.
You can always create periodic budgets at every start of the year or make them bi-annual. If you need help, you can reach out to our team here at MTD Property Management to estimate the costs and prepare a budget for your property.
Be Conversant and Compliant with the Law
The laws that govern the landlord-tenant agreement on your property and vary from state to state. It’s important as a landlord to familiarize yourself with these laws, even if you’ve already drafted your lease document. This will help you avoid any legal problems regarding your lease or your property.
Bottom Line
Maintenance is an integral part of property management and one of the keys to successfully managing a rental property. Ensure that you take the best care of your property by providing only the best maintenance.
Keeping your property in good condition is no small feat. Rely on the experienced and professional team at MTD Property Management. Our years in the property industry afford us the skills to quickly identify any problems on your property and deal with them.
Call us today and help your property look its best. With MTD Property Management, your property will be in tip-top condition all year long.
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