Even reliable and effective processes can benefit from a periodic review. Take some time to evaluate how your Kelowna tenants are requesting maintenance and repairs. There may be some changes you can make to inspire more efficiency and accountability. If you don’t have a process in place at all, and you simply respond to repair requests when you get around to it, there’s definitely room for improvement.
As professional Kelowna property managers, we have systems in place for emergency repairs, routine requests, and preventative maintenance. It leads to well-protected rental properties, happy tenants, and fewer surprise costs for our owners.
Here’s what we recommend when it comes to completing tenant maintenance requests for your Kelowna rental property.
Emergency Maintenance Requests
An emergency is something that threatens the health and safety of your tenant or could potentially render your investment property uninhabitable. This might be a flood, a fire, or a lack of electricity. When the home loses heat in the winter, it’s an emergency. When an ice storm causes cracking tree limbs to crash through a roof, it’s an emergency.
Tenants need to know how to reach you in case something unexpected happens at the property. Make sure they have a number that will be answered. If your schedule will not allow you to be available and accessible, make sure you’re working with a Kelowna property manager or someone who can respond immediately.
Routine Repairs in your Kelowna Rental Property
For routine repairs, a written request can be a lot more effective than a phone call. You want to have these repair needs documented, and asking your tenants to send an email or even a text message will give you the details you need; the time the request was made, the problem that was reported, and your own response.
Ask your tenants to provide as much detail as possible so you can do your best to diagnose the problem and dispatch the right vendors. If they have photos of something that’s broken, for example, that can help you make an effective repair.
While these routine repairs likely won’t have the same sense of urgency as an emergency issue, you should still respond quickly. You don’t want to let a small maintenance problem grow into something more complicated and expensive. Delayed repairs only allow your property to deteriorate faster. It also frustrates your tenants, and that won’t help your retention plans.
Prioritizing Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance can reduce the number of emergency calls you take. You’ll also find that you can save money and preserve the longevity of many of your property’s systems and functions with a solid preventative maintenance plan. Here are some of the best practices you can implement:
- Have the HVAC inspected and serviced annually.
- Keep up with pest control.
- Use a professional landscaping company.
- Check for leaks under sinks and signs of water intrusion.
Ask your tenants to help you with preventative maintenance by changing air filters regularly, keeping the home clean, and winterizing when necessary. For example, if they’re going to be out of town during a cold stretch, make sure the heat isn’t turned off completely. You don’t want the pipes to freeze.
This is a glimpse of how professional Kelowna property managers take care of maintenance requests effectively. You’ll need a strong team of vendors and contractors to help. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Vantage West Property Management.