As a property manager, repairs to your rental properties are bound to happen; usually occurring at the worst time imaginable. Those same repairs more than likely will be very costly as well. Some of the costs consist of contractor fees, parts, replacements, etc.

Although tenants may not be the fault of these repairs, making sure they know what to look for and are educated on these issues could save you a lot of time and money.

As the property owner or manager you’re going to face appliances breaking, home improvement, and repairs. If you’re aware of the most common ones, you will be able to advise tenants, early on, on how to maintain and properly use each.

‍8 Common Repairs

1. Garbage Disposals - Tenants love how much time they save and that shows by how much they are used in a home. The problem is, they get overused and are getting filled with things that shouldn’t go down there: grease, fruit pits, foil, coffee grounds, plastic just to name a few. Make sure to give the tenant clear guidelines as to what should and shouldn’t go in the disposal.  
2. Appliance Breaks - Refrigerators, ovens, washers, dryers, etc. What do each of these have in common? They each have parts that will wear down with time. As the property manager, you can either buy appliances and just have them fixed when needed; or the new trend is choosing appliance rental companies to maintain the problem.
3. Clogged Toilets and Sinks - Sinks get blocked with all kinds of gross materials; the same goes for your toilets as well. More times than not, your toilet leaks because of the wear on the toilet itself. Try to fix these clogs with liquid plumber and make sure everything is screwed in right and well put together before you expect the worst.
4. ‍Plumbing - Tenants will contact you if there is any sort of leak they encounter. Plumbing is very costly to repair so make sure all of the parts are replaced during inspections. Make sure that plumbing is taken care of by a very qualified plumber; it’s better paying a little more upfront to avoid a multitude of problems later down the road.‍
5. Plugged Furnace Filters - These make systems work really hard which leads to a frequent repair expense. A lot of times property managers will include in the lease that the tenants need to replace the filters for these to keep them functioning as long and as well as possible.
6. HVAC - This is one of the most expensive repairs a property manager deals with. Watch out for things like leaking refrigerant, thermostat problems, and dirty air filters, and just lack maintenance in general. If there’s a problem, you’re going to need to bring in an HVAC technician to take care of the issue.
7. Leaky Roof - Roof leaks are more common than you think. A big rain storm, strong winds, hail are all different factors that can tear up your roof.
8. Pests - Make sure your tenants maintain the cleanliness of the unit. Lots of times that gets taken for granted and creepy creatures like ants, rodents, termites, etc. invade the unit. Keep an eye out for Bed Bugs as well as they strike fear in owners and managers everywhere.

Maintenance is KEY‍

The key to maintaining your properties is to set a good maintenance schedule and making sure you and your tenants stay on that schedule. They don’t own the home so they may not care as much as you will. Just stay diligent and make sure to check in to make sure everything is in good order.

We’ve all experienced a complicated maintenance problem with rental properties. The SecondKeys software provides transparency, accountability, and workflow efficiencies for everyone involved in renting. We make it easier so that you can keep track of your tenants, services, providers, contractors, etc.

Maintaining these 8 repair issues should be the very foundation of any maintenance strategy. Each is very costly and time consuming so it’s best to be as prepared as possible. Address these common repair challenges and your management of the property and of the tenants themselves will be a success.