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Maintenance, Emergencies, and Professionals, Oh My!

Tenant on the Phone with Cypress LandlordIf you possess a Cypress rental property, sooner or later, your tenant will call you with an urgent appeal for maintenance or repairs. It’s important to ascertain the best ways to respond to different tenant requests. If you are handy, there are some things you could actually easily deal with yourself. On the other hand, there are times when even trying to fix something yourself could make matters worse. To apprehend when to call in a maintenance tech, here are one or more questions you can use to assess the existing situation.

How urgent is the problem?

If your tenant has contacted you about a repair or maintenance issue, you should first understand how urgent the problem is. Granting that your tenant may be uneasy and annoyed with an ineffectively working dishwasher or dripping faucet, these are maintenance concerns that do not indicate an emergency visit. But definitely, if your tenant reports an issue that would make the property uninhabitable, you should take immediate action to fix the predicament. Particular examples include significant water leaks and damage or a non-functioning furnace or air conditioner. In these types of circumstances, it is most often okay to delegate to professionals.

Do you know how to do it yourself?

If you have experience with productively working on maintenance and repair tasks, you may be the correct person to respond to a tenant’s request. This is definitely true if the task is a very easy one or something you already know how to do. But really, fixing something in an emergency without the proper tools or know-how could spell a major fiasco. Exactly why, if you are either not absolutely confident how to deal with the current problem or don’t have time to do it in a flash, it’s eventually best to send a service technician to take care of it for you.

Is doing it yourself REALLY the best use of your time?

Another beneficial question to consider is whether going over to your rental property and completing repair and maintenance tasks is the best use of your time. Every hour you spend on property repairs and maintenance is an hour you are not spending on other really important things, whether managing your investments or spending quality time with loved ones. If you seriously consider how much your time costs, it may be more economical to hire a service tech instead.

Do the repairs require a licensed professional?

A  few maintenance and repair items are considerably easy and pretty basic, do-it-yourself tasks, like for example replacing filters or cleaning the refrigerator coils. But on the flip side, others may require the services of a licensed professional. Such labors are either too dangerous or difficult for untrained Cypress property managers to do themselves. Electrical issues, major plumbing problems, and disturbances with an HVAC unit should all be settled by a professional service technician.

Is regular maintenance being scheduled?

To keep your rental property in good condition, you definitely need to ensure that regular maintenance is accomplished regularly. If your tenant seems unable or unwilling to help you with some routine maintenance tasks, either seriously consider doing it yourself or hire someone to do it for you. In either case, proactive maintenance is one of the effective methods to get away from those late-night emergency calls and keep a close check on your property’s condition. By maintaining and replacing things before they break or wear out, you can reduce your maintenance and repair costs and keep your tenants contentedly happy, as well.

 

If property maintenance and repairs are not something you look forward to doing as part of owning a rental home, we can actually help! At Real Property Management Republic, we effectively use a proactive approach to property maintenance. Also, we have access to a network of quality service providers who can keep your property in more than a decent condition for less than you’d eventually pay on your own. Contact us online to learn more!

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