How Roseville Property Management Teams Plan for Maintenance
Spring is just around the corner meaning it is time to dust away the cobwebs and prepare for the chirping birds. With a change in weather and temperature, also comes a change to caring for your investment rental property. It happens annually and the best Roseville property management companies, like RPM Select, plan ahead to make certain nothing is missed during routine springtime property inspections, and that the budget has room for proper service technicians. Here are a few points to touch on while maintaining your property and getting it ready for spring and summer.
Spring Inspection Checklist
- Appliance Tune Ups: perform heating, air conditioning, humidifier, dehumidifier, and ventilation tune ups on the property. As the cold winter season comes to a close, change air filters on the air conditioning units and schedule proper certified technicians to come and perform a multi-point inspection. Doing so will help prevent breakdowns and ensure that the unit performs at full capacity to cool the house. Having a cooling system that works efficiently during days where temperatures reach between the 90s and even 100 or more degrees will help Roseville property management companies keep tenants happy. Clean out humidifiers and dehumidifiers and check humidity levels in different areas around the house.
- General Inspection: While performing the above mentioned tasks, inspect the general condition of the property. Check the condition of the flooring, walls, general cleanliness, and take note of any lease compliance issues. Check the safety of glass shower doors, toilet seats, and test window and door locks to see that they are functioning as they should. Doing so will limit your liability. Review occupancy guidelines and pet rules. A good rule of thumb that Roseville property management teams follow when checking occupancy is to look for any signs of overcrowding within the house. Having more beds, furniture, or clothing than expected based on the lease agreement occupancy is a good sign that unauthorized tenants are living in the home. If you find this to be the case, counsel with your lawyer for a proper course of action.
- Check and Schedule Proper Landscaping Care: Consider aerating the lawn, reseeding, fertilizing, and pruning the trees and shrubs. Check for roots that could cause damage to your foundation or walkways and overgrown trees that could compromise your property’s security. Roseville property management teams want to remind property owners that tree branches that reach to upstairs windows may appear inviting to home intruders. Just because your property is currently occupied doesn’t mean you should ignore curb appeal. Keep your home looking attractive and inviting by planting fresh flowers if needed. You never know when your current tenants might turn in a 30 Day Notice to Vacate.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: Biannual testing and inspections of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is crucial to limiting your liability as a landlord. Many states and local governments require it be done biannually. Stay informed on your laws and codes. Change batteries if needed and reinstall any detectors that have been taken down or removed. If detectors have been removed, speak with your tenants about the safety of keeping the alarms installed. Document your conversation to remove liability.
How to Stay Prepared for Maintenance
No matter how meticulously tenants take care of your property, things will break and maintenance is bound to happen. Roseville property management teams and landlords can be prepared for the maintenance requests by setting aside ten percent of rent each month. Another way to look at it is to set aside one month’s rent annually to account for maintenance. At the start of each year, take note of which appliances will be in need of replacement or repair. Remember, older homes will likely require more maintenance than new ones. The monthly ten percent rule may need to be adjusted and increased for old houses. Here are a few tips to keeping maintenance costs in check.
- Be Proactive: Select remains the leaders in the Roseville property management industry because we practice what we preach and guarantee results. Following our spring and fall inspection checklists helps keep maintenance costs down and protects homeowners. As fall and winter approach, clean the rain gutters, change the air filter on the furnace, schedule a furnace tune up, and inspect roof shingles to make sure they are in good condition and will not spring a leak into your attic or ceilings.
- Be Responsive: When a phone call, text, or email come in from a tenant, respond quickly. Make yourself available at all times of the day or night. We know not every property owner is willing to answer maintenance calls 24/7. If you fall into this category, consider contacting a Roseville property management company to do it for you. Document how you responded to maintenance requests and hire only licensed and insured technicians to make repairs.
Have the Best Roseville Property Management Team on Your Side
Many investment rental property owners fear the cost of hiring a management company is too high. At Select, our fees practically pay for themselves. We are known for having shorter than average vacancy times and for having proven processes in place to save our clients money. Roseville property management is a big task and requires a lot of time, energy, and work. Let Select deal with the day-to-day stress while you sit back and watch your bank account get bigger each month. Call us today.