Knowledgebase
Improving Lives, One Property At A Time
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Owners Knowledgebase
Maintenance
All maintenance problems are not equal:
No two people live the same way. That squeaky door in the third bedroom that was never used, is now the babies room. Squeaky doors or drafty rooms as an example, and babies, don't go well together. In other words, the stuff that wouldn't bother you might well be a big problem for a tenant. Consequently, it is not unusual to get several maintenance requests when a new tenant moves into a property.
Avoiding the tenant doesn't fix the problem:
One of the fastest ways to lose a tenant is to ignore their legitimate maintenance requests. It's not like you're going to avoid the repair after they've moved... it still needs to be done. Except now you have no income and you still have to pay to get the work completed.
THE BIDS YOU GOT ARE TOO HIGH, CAN'T I JUST HAVE MY FRIEND OR THE TENANTS DO THE WORK IF THEY WANT? - You can have anyone you choose do the work you want on your property. However, if they are not Licensed and insured you always stand the chance that they could get injured and then they will end up owning your building. Frequently using friends or anyone else that is not in the construction/repair business, full-time, is a mistake. The work is almost always lacking and rarely is it completed in a timely manner.
We had a situation once where the owner insisted on using the tenant to replace the landing on the second story of a four plex. We warned him of the huge liability he was putting himself in. Sure enough, the tenant had a friend over to help him. The friend ended up losing his footing and stepping between the flooring joists, and then falling through a plate glass window. He of course ended up in the hospital without insurance and they expected the owner to step forward and pay for everything.
When the City gets involved:
I RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM THE CITY TO MAKE A BUNCH OF REPAIRS, WHAT CAN I DO? - The city, in conjunction with the mayors office, is trying to 'clean up' older areas of the city. Their methods include using inspectors from the Neighborhood Services Department and the Fire Department to inspect and cite properties for code violations. If you do not comply with their requests they have the power to shut down your building. You of course have legal recourse and there is a system in place where you can take your case before the city council. This is a lengthy process.
Old things, including us, break more easily and more often:
Maintenance problems usually become an issue on older properties. Owners of course want to buy as cheaply as possible, especially older buildings. They save money on the purchase price but usually are forced to pay for more frequent repairs.
Paying For Repairs
We request that owners keep a minimum of $300.00 in the trust account for unanticipated repairs. Sometimes, that isn't enough to cover an emergency situation like a water heater or air conditioner replacement. Usually, these items need immediate attention. Here, if you want, you can get the funds into your account electronically. Otherwise in most cases you can pay the vendor directly with a credit card.