Having an in house maintenance team helps with turnover. We get light switches working, dropping faucets taken care of and handrails tightened. If we used only outside vendors for these things, it would require five different visits from electricians, plumbers, general contractors and carpenters. We keep it simple and affordable.
A question we get a lot is how we determine tenant charges versus owner charges when it comes to maintenance and repairs. It’s pretty straightforward. Any damage made by the tenant is the tenant’s responsibility. Toilets and garbage disposals are usually where you can see an easy breakdown of who pays for what. If a cell phone is dropped into the toilet and causes a clog, it’s a tenant charge. When the hardware on the toilet needs to be replaced because it is worn, that’s an owner charge. If a fork is lodged in the garbage disposal, causing it to malfunction, that’s a tenant charge. If it simply stops working for no apparent reason, the owner pays to fix it.
Sometimes, there is magic to be worked. We can find ourselves in grey areas and we’re not really sure whether the tenant broke something. This is where excellent tenant relations will go a long way. Remember that good maintenance personnel, particularly in house maintenance staff, can provide a second set of eyes on your property. We are confident our repair people will let us know if they see six broken down cars or five dogs on the property that don’t belong there.
Hopefully, this blog has answered some of your questions about how to handle maintenance. If you have any questions about maintenance and repairs on your rental home, please contact us at Fox Management.