Why landlords must have a maintenance strategy

Maintenance may sound like something that you can put off. When profit margins are tight, you may think that spending money on routine maintenance is expensive. There’s the adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

But taking that approach can cause you to be on a never-ending treadmill of repairing broken appliances

A better adage for successful landlords should be, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Let’s look in more detail at how to develop a maintenance strategy to keep your rental properties in good shape.

1. Decide who carries out maintenance tasks

First, decide who is going to do your property maintenance. If you are a startup landlord with some DIY skills and one or two rental units, you could do some jobs yourself and save some money. However, it’s usually best to get professionals. 

2. Schedule regular maintenance inspections

Maintaining rental properties should be about preventative maintenance, not about continually making repairs. Typically, at the end of a tenancy, you should thoroughly inspect the rental unit. Also, you could arrange a maintenance inspection when a tenant renews the lease. You could include in the rental agreement that property inspections take place upon the lease renewal.

3. Keep up with appliances

Property maintenance should also include servicing appliances, HVAC units, water heaters, and elevators. To keep track of maintenance tasks, you need a list of systems that need regular servicing. Then, work out a schedule for maintenance servicing.

Scheduling maintenance prolongs the life of your assets and minimizes expensive repairs.

4. Communicate with tenants

Communication is a vital element of property maintenance. It’s essential to tell tenants to reach out to you with maintenance requests. You also need to help them realize their role in maintaining the rental unit. 

5. Respond to all maintenance request promptly

Regardless of the issue, always respond quickly to repair requests. Even if the task isn’t urgent, tenants appreciate responsive landlords. It’s best to acknowledge the request, assess the situation, and then arrange for repairs.

Keeping up with property maintenance is one of the most important ways to keep tenants happy and earn a stellar reputation as a great landlord.