A lot of property management procedures have been altered during the COVID-19 crisis we continue to face. Our team is flexible and well-equipped to deal with any disaster, whether it’s a pandemic or another kind of disaster.
Today, we’re talking specifically about maintenance and how property owners can best protect the condition of their investments while also protecting the health and safety of their residents and vendor partners.
Prioritizing Maintenance and Repairs
The process for handling maintenance requests may need to be a bit different. Emergencies will certainly still require an immediate response. Otherwise, you might want to slow down the cosmetic repairs or minor issues that aren’t immediately necessary.
Many of the vendors we work with are continuing to do their exceptional work as they always have, but with additional precautions. Some vendors, however, are not comfortable going into homes. Check in with the contractors and workers you typically use so you’ll know what to expect in terms of timing and responsiveness. You may also have tenants who are anxious about people entering their home.
Let your tenants know that you care about their safety and health. Talk to them about the types of repair requests that will be responded to right away and which will have to wait. Your good residents will understand the unique circumstances we’re all dealing with right now, and they won’t be too upset if a minor repair can’t be made right away.
Keep Summerville Rental Properties Habitable
Unexpected maintenance emergencies are going to continue, even during a pandemic. You will get calls for leaks, exploding water heaters, problems with electricity, and as the winter delivers colder temperatures, there may be issues with heating.
As a landlord and property owner, you’ll need to respond to these emergencies promptly to ensure your property remains habitable and your tenants safe. When you need to send a vendor or contractor over to the property, take a few precautions. We recommend:
- Asking the tenants not to be at home when the repair is made.
- Requiring masks and gloves to be worn whenever possible and safe by your maintenance team.
- Instructing your vendors or contractors to provide extra cleaning on any surfaces that were touched during the repair.
- Taking extra pictures and notes to document who was in the property, what was done, and what the end result looked like.
If tenants are unable to leave during the repair, make sure they understand the requirements of social distancing and advise them to wash hands and clean thoroughly before and after the maintenance vendor is in the property.
Encourage Residents to Continue Reporting Maintenance Issues
You don’t want your tenants to put off reporting a maintenance issue. Even if you’re not going to respond to it right away, you still want to know there’s a problem. Make sure your residents understand that they still need to report a problem when it’s discovered.
This is an important part of protecting your property’s condition. Residents may not want anyone coming into the house if it’s not an emergency, and you can empathize with that. Ask them to report the problems even if an immediate solution is not required. This will give you a documented list of things that need to be done. You can then prioritize them and measure the safety of your residents and your maintenance crew against the maintenance needs of your property.
We hope that we’re turning a corner in this crisis, and that things will soon look better for the entire country. If you have any questions about Summerville property management and your rental property, please contact us at ROG Coastal Property Management.