Are you a new landlord? There's a thing or two you need to know about property maintenance.
When you're a landlord, the responsibility falls on your to maintain the property to the best of your abilities. That could mean making repairs when a tenant needs them, ensuring that the sidewalks and lawn are well looked after, or finding new tenants for vacant properties.
It can feel like an overwhelming task, but if you know what to do, it's manageable. In this post, we're going to tell you the 6 things you need to know about property maintenance. Follow these tips and you'll see the many benefits of being a property owner.
1. Preventative Maintenance Is Key
Every landlord's nightmare is a huge maintenance project while a tenant is living or working in their property. The bigger projects are always better to do when the property is vacant.
If you want to avoid these kinds of large fixes, you'll perform regular preventative maintenance. Whether it's clearing the gutters or buying a new part for an appliance, spend your time doing the small stuff.
2. Move-In-Move-Out
When you're in between tenants is when you should tackle bigger problems. Things like re-shingling the roof or replacing the floors in the kitchen are better done when no one is in the building.
This can also be seen as preventative maintenance on a larger scale. The more you accomplish in the move-in-move-out period, the less you'll have to do when the building is occupied.
3. Make Improvements When Possible
Taking this one step further, it's always good to make improvements when you have the time and money available to you. When you invest in your property, it's going to pay off in unforeseen ways, whether that means finding more desirable tenants or being able to boost the rent by a couple of hundred dollars per month.
4. Seasonal Maintenance
Work out a seasonal maintenance schedule with your tenants.
Salt Lake winters can be tough, so make sure that either you're the one shoveling and de-icing sidewalks or it's written into the lease that your tenant does. Likewise, there are certain things you need to do in the spring and fall when the leaves start falling and the snow starts melting. Put yourself in a seasonal maintenance routine and it'll just feel like part of the job.
5. Tenant Issues
Sometimes, your tenant will bring up issues in the building that need fixing. It's in your best interest, as the property owner, to ensure that these things are dealt with in a timely manner.
You do a lot of hard work to find great tenants and the best way to improve your tenant retention is to be a great landlord. Diligence with tenant-requested maintenance will help with that.
6. Regular Inspection
Schedule regular inspections with your network of industry professionals and you'll never have major issues with your property. All good property managers have plumbers, electricians, and other contractors that they can call to help keep their property in the best possible shape.
Property Maintenance Doesn't Have to Be Hard
Property maintenance is a crucial part of being a landlord. If you don't take it seriously, you're going to struggle to keep your tenants happy. When tenants aren't happy, you'll have to invest more time in advertising to new tenants every couple of years.
To get help with your property maintenance, contact us at Wolfnest. We're Utah's most trusted property management firm, so let us make your transition into being a landlord a smooth one.
