MAINTENANCE

• Transcript

  Speaker 1: Hey, everyone. It's Ryan Leonard, from Wolfnest property management. Today, I wanted to talk to you about maintenance, in particular, how Wolfnest handles maintenance. So, the first thing when talking about maintenance is probably the biggest headache for DIY owners.  

  The biggest time consumer and really the biggest concern that potential clients have as far as how do we handle it? What's the cost going to be? And what can we expect? So really with maintenance, the best thing about Wolfnest is we handle every aspect of it. Now that starts with the initial rent ready assessment. Really, when we take on a new property, we do a free rent ready assessment and coming up with a list of things that we want to make sure that they're going to pass the Utah Fair Premises Act, so doors and windows lock, electrical systems work, heating and plumbing works, all that good stuff, but we also put together a list of items that we consider owner option, meaning we find scuffs on the wall or a doorknob is missing this, or there's an interior doorstopper that's missing or light bulbs that need to be replaced. We put this list together and give the owners the option to either fix it themselves before a tenant moves in, or they can ask us to put together a bid so that we can present that to them and they can tell us, yes, please move forward with it, or, hey, I want to just address this at the next tenant move in. Let's hold off for now. So, kind of put the ball in your court. Also, with tenants, we create a portal for them, meaning they can put together or submit a maintenance request 24 hours a day. We're going to receive that and let them know that we're working on it to come up with an issue or, excuse me, a resolution. 

  Next one is our hybrid model. So, there's really two ways the property management companies handle maintenance. It's either in-house maintenance or they contract it out. With us here at Wolfnest, we do use a network of third-party vendors for anything that's considered a specialty. So that would be electrical, plumbing, HVAC. Those are all things that we are going to contract out. Now the benefit of that is that we can get multiple bids. This means that we can have, okay, we need a hot water heater. We're not just going to move forward with our in-house guy one bid, and you know, it's $2000. We can actually get multiple bids and really stack those up against the competitors and say, hey, someone's willing to do it for $1100, you know, can you beat that price? But it also gives us the flexibility to get things done quickly, which is what keeps happy tenants and also prevents any vacancy in between tenants because they're going to renew.  

  [00:02:38] Now we also have in-house techs. Now these in-house techs are really going to be used for things like turning a wrench or a screwdriver, or things that are time sensitive. If we have a new property with a lease signed on Friday and a move-in on Monday, any good painting company is going to be a couple of weeks out, so we'll use our in-house guy to go and get that patch and paint done in those two bedrooms so that tenant can move in. And again, that's when we use our in-house or for things like winterization, de-winterization. If they're going to be having interactions with the tenant or going into the property, we want them to be familiar with them, trust them, so that's where our guys come into play.  

  Next thing is inspection plan. We do offer a semiannual or one time inspection throughout the property during the lease for $89. Now with this inspection, our team is not just taking a photo of the front door and saying thank you for your time and money. We're actually going into the home, reviewing the lease agreement before we go in, looking for any lease violations, tenant damage, but we're also inspecting the appliances, the plumbing, making sure everything's in working order and then also going to be looking for any things like, you know, if there's any unauthorized pets or again, if we see damage, we don't wait to the end of the lease to correct that damage. We'll actually be lining up a vendor to come and fix that damage and then charge the tenant in the next month's rent. So, inspection plans are a great way to not only get eyes on your property because we send you that full inspection report, but also, you know, some more preventative maintenance type measures.  

  [00:04:13] This is a good one for our owners. It's the 24 seven emergency maintenance line. So again, like I mentioned before, tenants can put together and submit a request 24 hours a day for simple requests like, okay, an electrical outlet's not working. Okay, that's fine. We'll get back to it next day. If it's an emergency, let's say there's a gas line leak or there's a water leak or there's imminent damage to the property, tenants can call 24 hours a day and they're going to actually speak to a live agent. Yes, they talk to a live agent who then works with the tenant to troubleshoot or stop the issue from causing damage to the property, but also coordinating with our vendors to get someone out there that night. So, if something happens Christmas, 2:00 in the morning, okay, we're going to have a vendor there that night or that morning to go ahead and correct that issue, or at least, stop damage from happening until we can diagnose it and come up with strategy with you, the owner.  

  We also, in our maintenance, have re-keying services even better than re-keying, we offer smart locks or ShowMojo smart locks. That is a way to actually eliminate re-keying completely because it's going to be all electronic or keypads where we can just generate new codes in between each tenant and avoid re-keying your property ever again. However, if you do need us to re-key, if you do have like a quick set lock, great, we can cut new keys in between tenants. 

  Also, lawn care and snow removal. Every one of our properties that's not part of an HOA that handles the yard care is done professionally. We do not allow tenants to handle the yard care because they usually don't take as much pride in it as you or I or what the neighbors want to see. So, every one of our properties is handled professionally with yard care, and even better, it doesn't cost our owners anything. We actually build it into the tenant’s lease agreement over the entire term of the lease, making it very fair. And our tenants actually love it because they don't have to buy a weed whipper or lawn mower. And we love it because we know the yard is being maintained.  

  The last one is we did insect control. Now this is something that we can't charge tenants for, but we do line up for a lot of our properties. It's just kind of one of the yearly expenses you can expect when you're an investor. If you want to have, you know, weeding or fertilization or spring cleanup, fall cleanup or pest control. Great. I like to do that at my properties, because it retains my tenants, keeps the property looking great, and if it does become vacant, it's a lot easier to place new tenants at that higher rental rates.  

  So, if you want to hear more about our maintenance program, give me a call. That's my number. That's my email. I'd love to discuss your property or your portfolio, hear how you're doing maintenance and see if we can be a good fit for you. So, thanks everyone and hope to hear from you.  

We conduct inspections upon move-in and move-out and ensure all maintenance issues are addressed in a timely manner. A home that is well kept results in quicker rentals and happier tenants. Protecting and maintaining your home is a top priority to us.

As with any property, maintenance is a given - which is why our goal is to get the job done without interrupting your nights, weekends or holidays! Tenants can submit work orders via our maintenance request link in our Tenant Portal or in case of emergencies through our 24/7 maintenance answering service. We have built a custom proprietary software which streamlines each maintenance request we receive.

We have an extensive network of subcontractors in all trades such as painters, electricians, plumbers, carpet installers, HVAC specialists, and appliance technicians. Because of the volume of work our company requires, we are able to receive quality service at fair prices. This saves you time, money and headache!

We perform semi-annual inspections during the term of each lease agreement - this service is free for Owners on the Premium Service Plan. Owners on the Standard Service plan can elect for Property Protection at the cost of $178 over the course of the year. View Sample Inspection Report.

INTERIOR INSPECTIONS

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At the interval of your choosing, we thoroughly inspect your rental property to address routine maintenance issues and protect the condition of your investment.

24/7 EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE

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Your rental property is in the hands of true professionals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each of our approved vendors is Better Business Bureau certified, carry all required state licenses, and are fully insured.

REKEYING SERVICES

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Failing to change your locks between tenants can cause safety issues and raise liability concerns. For this reason, we offer affordable rekeying and keypad door lock upgrades.

LAWN CARE AND SNOW REMOVAL

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We offer complete yard maintenance including mowing and edging services in the summer months, as well as snow removal when the weather turns. This ensures that your yard will continue to look just as amazing as the day you purchased it.

WEED AND INSECT CONTROL

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Wolfnest provides owners with services that protect against all of Mother Nature’s fury. This includes lawn fertilization and weed control services, as well as regular spraying to keep insects out of your rental property.