Property Management Blog

You already know that we take care of all maintenance requests from tenants, whether they’re emergency needs or routine repairs.

Is there ever an appropriate time to let tenants make their own repairs?

The general answer is no. It creates a lot of risk and liability that you don’t need.

There are some general things related to the upkeep of the property that we certainly expect tenants to take care of. For example, the lease agreement might state that they change the air filters regularly, keep the home clean, and contribute to the maintenance of the property. It’s reasonable to expect them to change light bulbs and batteries. Sometimes, we can walk them through a simple repair such as resetting a garbage disposal that’s stuck.

For anything more complicated, however, we like to use our own repair people. And here’s why:

• Most tenants are not trained in areas such as plumbing and electrical work. To make safe and complete repairs, we need a professional who does this type of work on a regular basis.
• Even a simple mistake that a tenant might make while managing a minor repair could damage your property.
• Your tenant could get hurt while making a repair, leaving you potentially liable for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages.
• It’s not a good precedent. If you let your tenant make one repair, they’ll want to continue making repairs and perhaps deducting the cost of their work from rent. That’s not going to help your cash flow nor is it protecting the value and condition of your investment.

Our maintenance process is efficient, responsive, and cost-effective. Because you work with us, there’s no reason to worry about repairs or to leave them up to your tenants to complete.

This is about protecting your investment. That’s why we’re here.

See you next month, when we take a look at security deposits, normal wear and tear, and tenant damage.

Thanks for trusting us with your rental property. And, if you know anyone who needs help with maintaining their investment, please refer them to us! We appreciate referrals.