When filling the role of a landlord, you must know the safety of your tenants is a top priority. You can attain that through property maintenance in which you apply timely repairs when needed. Through a regular maintenance routine, your building will be both secured and your tenants will be happy. It could also drive more people to become interested in renting space on your property.
In this blog post, we’ll delve deeper to understand the value of property maintenance and repairs. We’ll also explore some techniques that you can use to ensure building and tenant safety.
Establishing a Maintenance Schedule
One of the best practices that you can apply in maintaining your building is to conduct scheduled maintenance. Creating a schedule of routine maintenance will include inspections, repairs, and security checks. You will also employ a lot of preventive measures that can help you keep the property in good condition.
You would want to conduct maintenance every few months while inspections can occur twice a year. Let’s use an example. You have a building that has five families as tenants, you would conduct HVAC and roof inspections twice a year. Whereas you’d want to schedule maintenance of your building every two or three months.
Quick and Prompt Repairs through Tenant and Landlord Communication
You will also need to address building issues in real-time to ensure that your building is functional. For this purpose, you will need to form communication channels with your tenants if there’s anything that needs repairs. Your tenants will then forward concerns to you such as a leak in the gutters or a creaking floor that can be a walking hazard.
By creating a communication channel where you can receive reported issues, you can make timely repairs before the situation worsens. It will also ensure that your building will be safe and elevates your relations with your tenants.
Maintaining Both Plumbing and Electrical Systems
Plumbing and electrical circuits are essential components of your building. Without them, a building won’t be an earnest home for tenants and may not drive rental incomes. You would need to provide these two services and conduct inspections on them from time to time. Check whether there are damaged pipes and leaks or any short circuits or exposed wires in the electrical circuits.
If there’s any damage, it’s advised you call an electrician or a plumber to address that right away.
Provide Proper Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
To assure your building’s success and boost client satisfaction, you would need to provide proper heating, ventilation, and AC. Hire services that will conduct inspections, installing and cleaning of air filters, ducts, and cleaning vents. Also, you will need to hire a heating specialist so they can see whether your building is well-insulated. They can also offer ways to provide insulation during the colder parts of the year.
By maintaining proper heat levels, ventilation, and air conditioning; not only you’d save energy and the costs of bills. You will also make your tenants feel comfortable staying inside your building.
Preserving Structural Integrity and Employing Safety Measures
In your role as a landlord, you will need to see whether your building’s structural integrity is still intact. Check and assess whether there are parts of the building that need immediate repairs before it worsens. For example, you will check whether the integrity of the stairs and the wooden floor is still intact. Conduct repairs once you discover that they are starting to creak and move.
Aside from maintaining your building’s structural integrity, you will need to educate your tenants on safety measures. Give them general rules that will minimize or prevent any injuries whenever they navigate through your building.
Maintain Your Structure’s Facade
Maintaining the exterior of your building is as valuable as maintaining the insides. For this purpose, you’ll need to hire services that will apply paint on your building’s exterior. You can also hire services that will trim the trees and plants that are within your structure’s vicinity. Conduct repairs on the outside walls and surfaces of your building.
That aside, you’ll also need to inspect the outdoor lighting and security systems to see if they’re working as intended.
Educate your Tenants on Building Maintenance
Aside from educating your tenants on safety measures, you can also teach them how to maintain their occupied space. Teach them methods on how to effectively use the building and its related equipment. Also, instruct them to inform the management right away should any issues arise related to building or equipment use.
Partnering with Reliable Contractors
As the landlord of a building, you will need to also form close relationships with a network of reliable contractors. These contractors can become your go-to people whenever repairs and maintenance work is needed inside or outside your building. Try to form a trusted network of contractors so that you can address all structure-related issues promptly.
The Responsibilities of a Landlord
As either the landlord or manager of a building, you will need to fulfill several responsibilities. You should be able to complete these duties efficiently to ensure client or tenant satisfaction.
Here are the responsibilities that you should take note of as a landlord:
- Provide a safe and habitable space for tenants. The landlord must ensure that every space of their building is a safe spot for their lodgers. This agreement will cover the following:
-
- Functioning locks for all living quarters in the building
- Ensuring a peaceful environment by implementing curfew hours
- Proper protection against the weather or elements
- Providing an environment free of pests
- Providing all tenants with proper wiring, heating, and plumbing
- Addressing all Concerns Promptly. Landlords must entertain all concerns that their tenants forward them. If these issues aren’t addressed immediately, the tenants may express dissatisfaction and move out. In turn, your neglect may cause the building to enter a state of disrepair.
- It’s wise for you to provide proper contact information for your tenants and contractors. This will give them a way to reach out to you if there’s a pressing matter inside your building.
- Give Advanced Notifications on Raise of Rents. The landlord can increase the costs of rent provided that the costs of living are going up. However, you would need to announce this to your tenants before implementing it. You do not want to have tenants who are unaware of this announcement.
- On a side note, you would need to check with regulations regarding lease agreements. Some laws may need 30 to 60 days of notice to tenants before the increase in renting costs.
Responsible Maintenance Makes for a Safe and Secure Building
To recap, you, as the landlord of the building, would need to fulfill a lot of repair and maintenance roles to ensure your building and tenant’s safety. You will need to conduct repairs and maintenance on a timely basis to prevent damages that could appear later on. On top of that, you’ll need to offer communication channels with your tenants if ever they have concerns that you can address.
By addressing your tenant’s concerns and maintaining the building; you provide them a secure place to call home. At the same time, you also garner a degree of respect from satisfied clients.
Read Also: 7 Things to Consider Before Adding a Bathroom to Your Home
