5 Reasons to Have a Seasonal Maintenance Schedule for Your Rental Property
You have bought a rental property and plan to generate passive monthly income from the tenants living on the property. This is a smart plan to build wealth, but it also means you have new responsibilities. You need to protect your real estate investment by performing regular maintenance. There are many other benefits beyond retained property value, though. These seasonal maintenance examples and benefits will convince you that it is time to create a seasonal maintenance schedule for your rental properties.
1. Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance
When you plan your seasonal maintenance, you can ensure all of the major appliances and home features function correctly. For example, spring and fall maintenance of the HVAC system ensures that it efficiently blows cool air in the summer and warm air in the winter. Regular dryer vent cleaning keeps clothes drying quickly and prevents a fire hazard.
Seasonal maintenance goes beyond the major elements of the home, though. You will want to check the smoke detector to ensure they are in working order. This is not just for the safety of the tenants but also protects your investment.
2. Financial Stability
You can better plan your costs when you perform regular maintenance on your rental home. Otherwise, you risk multiple major appliances all going dead simultaneously. Then you face a significant repair bill. Instead, have a seasonal maintenance schedule in place. This keeps the appliances running longer and getting more use out of them before you replace them. Additionally, you can monitor their condition and plan for a timely replacement. This spreads out the upkeep costs.
3. Maintain Safety
Not maintaining your rental home will eventually lead to unsafe conditions. As the rental property owner, it is your responsibility to maintain the property so that it is safe for your tenants and their guests. A seasonal maintenance schedule makes this easier because you can regularly check the property after each seasonal climate. For example, check the property for broken tree branches after winter or clean up the deck after summer.
4. Compliance With the Law
There are specific laws that a landlord must follow when it comes to maintaining the habitability of a rental property. Violate these laws, and you could face fines or even a lawsuit from the tenant. An easy way of ensuring you stay in compliance is by doing seasonal maintenance. This lets you catch problems before they arise or become major issues. You also need to maintain the property with local codes. This could be as simple as having the landscaping done or painting the outside of the home.
Don’t forget to consider HOA bylaws if your rental home is in a neighborhood with one. Typically, there are rules that homeowners must follow, and many apply to the maintenance and condition of the home’s exterior.
5. Tenant Retention
You generate a better ROI when you have happy tenants, pay on time, and renew their lease. You can keep your tenants happy by performing regular seasonal maintenance. This shows the tenant that you care about the property and them. When your rental home looks well taken care of, people will want to continue living in the home; this makes them more likely to renew their lease. Additionally, seasonal maintenance reduces the number of repair requests the tenant has to submit, making their time in the home more enjoyable.
Get Help with Your Seasonal Rental Maintenance
As you can see, there are several seasonal maintenance examples and benefits. Thankfully, you do not have to do it all yourself. There are plenty of seasonal maintenance schedules available online for you to use as a starting point. You can then adapt the schedule to suit your rental home’s specific needs.
Start working with our skilled property managers to create a seasonal maintenance schedule for your rental properties so that you can enjoy these benefits.
