Maintaining your rental property can feel like juggling the costs of upkeep and preserving the property value as an investment.
For landlords in northern Virginia, having a strategic plan in place is important for maintaining your property and a positive tenant experience. Continue reading the article below as we outline a few key takeaways and why having a proactive maintenance plan is important for your rental property investment.
Regular Inspections: Catching Small Issues Before They Grow
Proactive inspections are the best way to reduce repair costs. It’s not about not trusting your tenant, but about preserving your investment before your nonchalance causes problems to worsen.
Biannual Interior Inspections
Plan to perform a walk-through every six months. The focus for this walk-through will be on plumbing, to check specifically under sinks for any leaks. You should also want to test HVAC operational controls and filters.
Finally, you should make sure that any safety devices, such as smoke detectors, are functional. A twice-a-year walk-through will allow you to detect a minor leak before it becomes a mold problem.
Seasonal Exterior Inspections
Each season, take a few minutes to look over the outside of your home. Make sure your gutters are cleared, as clogged gutters can cause drainage issues. Have the roof looked at for missing shingles, and check the foundation for cracks. Northern Virginia weather can be very hot and very cold, and having this diligence will help safeguard your home from the elements.
Move-In/Move-Out Inspections
Conduct a detailed inspection of the property with the tenant present at both move-in and move-out. Be sure to take notes and plenty of photos to document the condition of your property. If you notice the property needs work after the move-out, it’s best to hire professional end-of-lease cleaners to make your property look pristine.
This provides both you and the tenant with an accurate and fair representation of the property’s condition, and it is particularly important in defending and substantiating any claims for deductions from a security deposit.
When to Replace Major Appliances in a Rental Unit
Understanding when to buy a new appliance versus repairing an old one will save you time and money. One key rule of thumb is the 50% Rule: if it costs more than half the cost of a new appliance to repair the old one, it is best to replace it instead.
If the appliance is over 10 years old, inefficient, or continually breaking down, it may make more sense to replace the appliance altogether. A new, reliable appliance will ultimately enhance tenant satisfaction, provide full warranty protection, and protect the capital investment for much longer than an appliance needing repairs.
Depending on the condition and situation, it’s often more cost-effective to replace major appliances than to keep repairing them.
How to Handle Tenant Maintenance Requests Efficiently
For both tenant satisfaction and the protection of your property, keeping your repair requests organized and manageable is necessary. Having a specific system in place can help turn what might feel like a chaotic call system into a more manageable repair request process for all parties involved.
Establish a Single Point of Contact
Have all requests come through a single channel of communication. Whether it is a dedicated email address or a tenant portal, request that all requests come through ONE specific place. This way, you won’t miss messages that get lost in personal calls or through text messages. You will be able to have everything tracked in one place.
Prioritize Every Request Immediately
Sort requests into buckets. Emergency requests (example: lack of heat) require immediate action. Urgent repairs (example: broken fridge) should be done within 48 hours. Non-essential repairs can be scheduled accordingly. This creates a system that ensures any high-priority requests will not go unnoticed.
Communicate Proactively and Often
Always acknowledge the request immediately. Even if you know you cannot fix or rectify the request for a few days, inform the tenant about what the plan is. Simply letting them know you have engaged with this request builds tremendous goodwill and communicates you are aware of the issue and demonstrate that you are “on it”. This only serves to reduce the tenant’s frustration level.
Vet and Build Relationships with Vendors
Keep a trusted list of licensed and insured plumbers, electricians, and handymen available to call. Knowing who to call for what job saves you time negotiating and guarantees the work gets done properly the first time, saving you money in the long run.
Document Everything from Start to Finish
Keep a copy of each request, your response to it, vendor invoices, and notes from your follow-ups. This creates a paper trail for warranties, taxes, and peace of mind in case you ever need to dispute a repair or a security deposit.
Conclusion
When you take these proactive steps, such as timely inspections, use of convenient appliance processes, and use of appropriate requests, you are protecting your investment and establishing a positive relationship with your tenants. This consistent plan of action will help reduce unforeseen, non-urgent emergencies and maintain the property’s long-term health.
For Northern Virginia landlords who are seeking guidance, you can be sure that if you have professional management in place, these processes will take care of themselves. Property management in Northern Virginia is essential for landlords seeking professional oversight of their rentals.