As a landlord, you’re required to protect your tenant’s safety, health, and security. You can do this by making requested repairs within a reasonable amount of time from the first notice of a problem. Fail to make a diligent effort within seven days, and you risk your tenant terminating the lease, making the repair themselves and deducting the rent, or filing a lawsuit.
You can ensure you comply with the law by handling tenant maintenance requests efficiently. Try these six tips to optimize your property repair process.
1. Choose Your Contractors in Advance
It’s smart to choose your contractors and develop a relationship before you need them. That way, you aren’t scrambling last minute to find someone to make a repair. A cost-effective approach is to find a general contractor that can handle the majority of your requests. This will streamline the process and save you time managing requests.
For the most cost-effective approach, work with a property management company. They will either have their own repair employees or have negotiated favorable contracts with general contractors. You can take advantage of their ability to leverage a work volume discount.
2. Develop a Tracking System
Create a system where all tenant maintenance requests are submitted in writing. This creates a record of the request that can be referenced in the future. Avoid accepting phone calls or text messages unless there is an extreme emergency, such as a fire or flood.
A property management company can be beneficial for this step. They will already have a tenant portal and tracking system in place. You can provide this service to your tenants and then communicate with the property management company to approve the repairs.
3. Set Your Tenant’s Expectations
Start on the right foot with your tenant by explaining the repair request process and including it in the lease. Outline how a request needs to be made and what will happen to address the request. Explain how the tenant can expect communication and action.
Check your state, county, and city landlord/tenant law. Many municipalities require certain issues to be addressed within a specific amount of time. These pertain to the health and safety of the tenant, such as heat and access to water.
4. Establish Emergency Procedures
Inform your tenants of emergency procedures. Confirm with your contractors that they can accommodate emergency maintenance issues. Negotiate a cost for these types of service requests before they happen. That way, you can skip the haggling and get the repair taken care of as soon as possible.
5. Prioritize Maintenance Requests
While you should address all tenant maintenance requests as quickly as possible, some are more of a priority than others. Communicate with your tenants to find out the details of the request. This will help you determine if a “flooded basement” is really a puddle. Now you can send the correct contractor to fix the problem.
6. Follow Up
Always follow up with the tenant after the repairs are completed. Confirm with the tenant that the work was finished, done correctly, and fixed the entire problem. If the problem wasn’t addressed or was but persists, then you can contact the contractor to make a second visit. This follow-through strengthens the relationship between you and the tenant.
Let the Professionals Handle It
Hiring a property management company can take the legwork and guesswork out of handling tenant maintenance requests. You can leverage their relationships and negotiated service contracts to provide your tenants with five-star service.
The experienced team at PMI North Texas can communicate with your tenants to ensure speedy repairs. They’ll work with you so that you stay informed of any work performed.
Experience stress-free rental property ownership with our full-service property management program.
