If you own or manage a rental property, you don’t need to be told how important building maintenance is – both to tenants and for the value of the property. One of the most essential aspects of apartment management is keeping up with maintenance, and despite great advances in building materials and equipment, there’s no such thing as a maintenance free property. Although it is generally accepted that maintenance is important, the importance of creating a thorough apartment property maintenance plan isn’t as widely understood.
Apartment maintenance can be both complex and ongoing, and it’s not the kind of thing where you should simply “wing it” or make it up as you go. Let’s take a closer look at what a maintenance plan for an apartment rental property should look like, and what should be included in it.
What to Include in an Apartment Property Maintenance Plan
Customize your plan
First and foremost, it’s important to bear in mind that every rental property is unique. Each apartment building has its own maintenance requirements, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to maintenance that works across the board. That being said, you can start with a general framework for property maintenance and customize your plan as needed. Take into consideration the size and overall condition of the building and its grounds.
Types of maintenance
As you develop your apartment property maintenance plan, it can be helpful to break maintenance down into three basic types, and make sure your plan addresses each one. The three essential types of maintenance are:
- Preventative maintenance. Tasks associated with preventative maintenance are undertaken for the purpose of avoiding future problems. The idea is essentially to deal with minor issues in the present to prevent them from becoming major problems in the future. Some common examples of preventative maintenance for apartment buildings include changing HVAC filters, cleaning gutters, inspecting roofs and chimneys, and servicing septic systems. Preventative maintenance is often scheduled on a monthly or yearly basis.
- Routine maintenance. Routine maintenance can also be thought of as scheduled maintenance. It is often planned out weekly or monthly and includes regular, day-to-day maintenance tasks that are required to keep an apartment building or complex running smoothly. Examples of routine maintenance include cutting the grass, interior and exterior cleaning, and trash removal.
- Requested maintenance. As its name suggests, requested maintenance is maintenance that comes up unscheduled, and is typically requested by a tenant or a staff member. Requested maintenance is often related to an emergency, such as a plumbing leak, a pest control issue, or a broken door or window. While it cannot be specifically planned for or scheduled, it’s something landlords and apartment managers must be ready for.
Planning and organizing
When it comes to apartment maintenance, it helps to be a good planner! But whether you’re a good planner or not, you should develop a concrete maintenance schedule and stick to it. Whether your method of choice is a written list, an Excel spreadsheet or a digital calendar, make sure you lay out what types of maintenance have to be done when and how often.
If you’re a landlord trying to plan all your own apartment property maintenance, you may be feeling overwhelmed when you look at the tall list of tasks. One of the best options is to work with an apartment management company who can ensure that all preventative, routine and requested maintenance is taken care of on schedule and in a timely fashion.
Contact us today to learn more about creating an effective property maintenance plan with the help of our professional apartment management team!
