Completing Tenant Maintenance Requests Quickly to Ensure Quality and Satisfaction - Charlotte Property Management Advice

Tenant maintenance requests can often feel like a burden, especially if you have a resident who is calling every week with a new complaint or problem. However, responding to repair requests right away is in your best interest. Not only does it preserve the condition of your investment, it also keeps your tenants happy. You need to be responsive, and you need to get the job done.

We know it can be expensive and we know it can be time-consuming. But, the alternative is deferred maintenance and surprise emergencies that are always more costly than those small fixes.

Here are some of the ways we complete tenant maintenance requests to ensure quality and satisfaction as professional Charlotte property managers.

Explain Expectations to Tenants Early and Often

Before your tenants move in, make sure you have a detailed discussion about the lease agreement they’re signing. Included in that lease and your conversation should be instructions on how to report maintenance. You want your tenants to understand that you need to hear about repair issues right away. You don’t want tenants to neglect to report leaks or malfunctioning appliances.

It’s also a good opportunity to define the difference between an emergency and a routine repair. Emergencies will involve fires, floods, and anything that puts a person’s life or your property in danger. Garbage disposals that are clogged will not be classified as emergencies.

Document the Repair Requests

All emergencies should be reported immediately. You’ll want your tenants to call you as soon as it is safe to do so. For routine repairs, it’s better to have those requests made in writing. This gives you a documented record of when the request was made, what was described, and how it was handled. This will help you eliminate any disputes about work that was never done or requests that were ignored.

Work with Licensed and Insured Vendors

Don’t cut corners when it comes to the work you perform. It may be tempting to hire cheap labor to have your house painted or the trees trimmed back from your roof, but if that unlicensed worker falls off a roof or gets injured, you may be liable for medical expenses and additional losses. Work with vendors and contractors you can trust, who guarantee their work.

Having relationships with these vendors in place before you need them is a good idea. If your tenant reports a sewer backup in the middle of the night, you want to know exactly who to call. It’s not a great time to be searching online for help.

Follow Up on the Maintenance

Follow Up on the MaintenanceFinally, follow up with your tenants. Make sure the vendors were professional and respectful, and make sure the problem is fixed. Your tenants will appreciate this attention to detail, and it will help you retain them. It also gives you the information you need if the work wasn’t done completely or if there was a problem with the company you sent to fix the problem.

If you feel like you don’t have the time or the resources to handle maintenance issues, contact us at AM Realty. We have a great list of preferred vendors and we are proactive and preventative when it comes to protecting the condition of your property. We’re your Charlotte property management solution.