Do you know the best ways to handle maintenance issues for your Chicago rental property? Maintenance and repairs can become an area of contention between a landlord and a tenant. Read some of our best on how to manage requests in our latest post!
One of the most demanding parts of being a landlord can be keeping up with the maintenance and repairs. If your tenants aren’t doing their part to maintain the house, the problems can get even worse. Some landlords will hire property management companies to help, but that will only cut into their profits. Below, we offer several ways to help you professionally and effectively handle maintenance issues for your Chicago rental property. Properly being able to handle issues as they arise will save you time and money in the long run.
Create Open Lines of Communication
Having a great relationship with tenants can be beneficial for many reasons. You’ll want them to feel comfortable coming to you if there is a problem, rather than letting it go unattended to. You will want your tenants to tell you if something is wrong or if there is something they need. If they aren’t comfortable in the house, they aren’t going to want to stay, leading you to lost money and tenant turnover. Make it easy for tenants to reach you and don’t make it seem like a burden. Being helpful and maintaining the house properly will provide you with many long term benefits.
Create A Process
Within your lease, there should be a detailed explanation of how maintenance requests should be handled. Make it easy for the tenant to submit their request by using a standardized form or an online submission process. Encourage your tenant to be as detailed as possible with their requests so that you are able to resolve them as quickly as possible. Let your tenants know that requests that are non-emergency will be handled within a specific timeframe. Typically 24-48 hours depending on the problem.
Keep Records
As a landlord, you will need to keep records of everything Not only so you will know when maintenance is due, but also for financial and tax purposes. Keeping detailed records might seem like overkill, but it will help you greatly in the long run. Create a maintenance schedule for every property in your portfolio. Keep track of when repairs are made and how much they cost. Using an online maintenance request system can help you easily keep track of what was done and when. There are numerous systems out there, many of which offer free trial periods so you can test out the system’s functionality for yourself!
Prevention Is Key
One way to avoid major problems or urgent maintenance request is to be proactive about maintenance and repairs. Just because you aren’t living there, doesn’t mean the property shouldn’t be maintained on a set schedule. When creating a schedule, you’ll want to stick to it. If you are using a property management company, they can help you stay on track with everything that needs to be done in order to maintain the home.
As a landlord, you have the right to expect the property on an annual basis. Take advantage of these inspections so you can thoroughly assess what may need to be repaired in the home. Do a walk through with your tenant so they can point out any additional problems you may not have been aware of. You don’t want to be invasive, be sure to give your tenant as much notice as possible regarding the inspection.