18 Jan The Keys to Finding a Trusty Maintenance Worker
The bane of every landlord’s existence is rental property maintenance – whether it be a quick fix or a major project, repairs are inevitable and can feel endless at times. It may seem easy enough to roll with the punches and deal with repairs yourself as they come, but the second a tenant calls in the wee hours of the morning with a major plumbing or heating issue, you’ll be wishing you knew who to call.
The more units you have, the more complicated and expensive maintenance can become. The best way to address this problem is by having a trusty go-to who performs stellar repairs at a reasonable price. Sure, some issues require a professional in a specialized area, but you’d be surprised what a general handyman can fix. Find a trusty maintenance worker to contract, and they’ll gladly be your first dial after the dreaded midnight phone call from a tenant.
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Maintenance to Expect
A wide range of maintenance issues can be anticipated when it comes to rental property. No heat or air conditioning, no hot water, leaky faucets or clogged drains, and changing locks are all relatively routine maintenance that can be expected about once a year. Some issues require immediate assistance, such as a gas leak – but for the most part, a majority of maintenance issues are not an emergency.
With a non-emergency repair, there are two goals to strive for: make the fix effectively, and in a timely manner. Tenants expect their maintenance requests to be addressed as quickly as possible, and to have them fixed the first time, unless it’s absolutely necessary to follow up.
Your relationship with each tenant relies on how quickly and effectively their issues are addressed – and if disregarded, it could negatively impact your tenancy and payment collections. With that said – in order to assure well-done repairs in a timely manner, a go-to professional is imperative.
Hiring a Professional
The search for a contractor can be daunting because there are a plethora of options, but every contractor operates on a different schedule with varying price ranges. In order to save time and money when repairs arise, make the hunt for a professional before there are any problems to solve. Hiring a last-minute stranger off a quick web search risks a flaky repair for a high price, and thus puts your relationship with the tenant on the line.
By establishing a working relationship with a reliable professional, you assure yourself fair prices and timely work. Not to mention, after establishing an ongoing work relationship, they are likely to give priority to you when services are needed.
Finding the Right Guy or Gal
There are a few key aspects to aim for when hiring an ongoing repair professional. First, evaluate the skills you’d like for them to have. Do you want them to specialize in a specific area, like plumbing or heating? Do you want a fix-it person who can make small repairs in a flash?
If you’re looking for a reliable go-to, you likely want a professional who has a wide range of skills and produces reliable work in all areas of home improvement.
Experience isn’t necessary, but it certainly helps – has the contractor worked with rental properties in the past? What sort of skills have they utilized in previous work, and how many units are they used to managing maintenance for?
Keep in mind that a contractor who already has a large amount of units may present issues with scheduling in the future – so while you don’t want a complete newbie, someone with a flexible schedule is preferred.
Travel time is also important when it comes to timely repairs. How closely does the professional live or work from your property? Be sure to find someone who can reach your units in a timely manner, and who won’t keep your tenant waiting due to traffic or distance.
Lastly, reliability and independence are incredibly important in hiring an ongoing maintenance professional. They should be able to manage scheduling and provide high-quality services consistently, without having to ask for too many details or instructions. Not to mention, you should be able to trust them – they are entering your property and tenants’ units, after all.
The professional you send to make maintenance repairs is a reflection of you as a landlord, so be sure to hire someone both you and your tenants can trust.
On the Hunt
Take the time to find the right maintenance professional by researching upfront. Newspapers and local news stations often have ads for nearby professionals, but you can also find some great candidates with stellar reviews online. TaskRabbit and Craigslist are accessible ways to find local candidates who can perform quality work, and oftentimes have feedback to browse through before contacting.
If you’re a part of any investor groups in your area, reach out to your connections and see who they utilize for maintenance and repairs. Any seasoned veteran is likely to have established their hub of go-to help, and if you ask nicely, they just may let you in on it. The advantage to getting a referral is the added layer of security in knowing they are trusted by colleagues.
Once you find your top few options for candidates, reach out to each and arrange a short phone call to get a better idea of their work. Ask the questions mentioned above to get a better idea of their skill set and experience.
Once you’ve narrowed the search down to your top few candidates, arrange to meet in-person to get a better idea of their personality, availability and willingness to do the work.
If your final few candidates have a list of references or a website offering reviews and testimonials, be sure to reach out. Confirming that others have received services from the professional and were pleased with a job well-done is valuable information.
Getting Started with the Right Professional
Once you’ve made your top pick, allow a short period of time to see how you work together and be sure they are the right professional for your property. More than likely, the professional will impress you with their performance during this time, and you can have a long-term arrangement with peace of mind.
High-quality and timely maintenance is pivotal to the landlord-tenant relationship, and oftentimes contracting with a professional is the smartest and most cost-efficient approach to maintenance. Establishing a network of the right people who can swoop in on short-notice will take your property management to the next level, not to mention lessen the stress of repairs on both you and your tenants.
