In order to generate more income and create more value with your rental property –especially if you’d like to sell in the near future–it’s often recommended a landlord should keep up with routine maintenance and make any repairs necessary to keep the rental property in good condition. There are many things a landlord can do to help with routine maintenance on there property to keep it in tip-top shape. It is important to note that repairs aren’t necessarily the place where you want to skimp on costs–however, there are some great ways you can save money on repair costs when doing routine maintenance on your rental properties in Alabama. Below, learn about some of the tactics that landlords use to efficiently keep up with routine maintenance on their rental properties.
Hire a Professional Maintenance Crew
It is helpful to partner up with some contractors who you can use routinely. This way you will attain the peace of mind in knowing the repairs are being done properly and that you have someone working on your house who is true to their word. When you hire professional maintenance crews that you use routinely, you won’t have to worry about poor work ethic or the repairs being completed in the wrong way since you have a profitable and reputable relationship with them. You can rest assured the job will get done right the first time and no re-work or big mistakes will be made. It is also good to have a maintenance crew readily available to handle the routine cleanup once the repairs are completed. Every good landlord will have a go-to cleaning service they know and trust to get the job done right for their routine maintenance on rental properties.
Schedule Routine Maintenance Yourself
Your tenants may ask you to pay them to do routine maintenance on the rental property. This is well known to not turn out so good. Many times tenants are not experienced in maintenance, and can sometimes mess up projects significantly causing expensive re-work. Although tenants may be worried about getting the problem fixed they most likely won’t be worried about saving you money. If you want your repairs done right and done at a fair price, it is best for you to handle them yourself, finding your own maintenance people to do the job. Once the routine repairs are completed, you can make sure they are up to your level of satisfaction. If your tenant had chosen the vendor or done the repairs themselves, you might find yourself having to pay for poor workmanship.
Screen Your Tenants Thoroughly
Sometimes the significant routine repairs are needed because your tenant do not take good care of the house and cause damage. One way to avoid such problems is to ensure you are screening your tenants thoroughly. It’s a good idea to talk to your prospective tenant’s past landlords to get their feedback on how the tenant will take care of the home. It is also important to run background checks on anyone who will be living in your home to ensure the have a clean record. Even if you know the person who wants to move in, don’t assume they will take as good care of your property as you need them to. Always encourage your tenants to report any problems or unusual things they are noticing immediately so you can fix before the issue gets out of hand and causes significant damage to the house. For example, if your tenant is able to help you discover a leak quickly, this can save you thousands in water damage costs you may have otherwise been forced to pay.
Make The Routine Maintenance Repairs Yourself
Another option for you if you don’t want to hire a professional maintenance crew is you can always do the repairs professionally yourself. Especially if you have experience and knowledge with routine maintenance repairs or have a background as a handyman. Doing the routine maintenance repairs yourself can save you a bunch of money and can also help you ensure the job is done right.
Landlords are constantly involved with routine maintenance over the life of their investment. By being efficient and professional about the routine repairs on your rental property, can can make more profit and create more value from your investment.