There are dozens of benefits to owning rental property; the steady income, the growing equity, the strong demand… Count all the factors and it’s no surprise the single family rental market is becoming the method of choice for investors across the country.
There is, however, one inevitable drawback to being a landlord that can’t be ignored- no matter how new the unit, how updated the appliances, how careful the tenants – things will break, and chances are it won’t happen at a convenient time or come at a convenient price.
When you choose to forego a professional property management company like West End, those maintenance requests come in the form of middle-of-the-night phone calls. They come during weekday work meetings. They come during weekend getaways. The fact of the matter is that there’s never really a good time for something in your rental unit to stop working, but once that call comes in, the tenant’s issue is now yours, as well.
So, just what might you expect when that first maintenance call comes in? To help give our prospective clients an idea, we took a look at the last 250 maintenance requests to come through the West end online portal system:
- The most common requests (at 20% each) were plumbing and HVAC issues. This includes everything from a leaky faucet to a broken furnace
- At 14% of maintenance requests, appliance break downs was next. Are you ready to handle a broken refrigerator, dishwasher, or washer and dryer?
- Electrical issues came up 11% of the time. While replacing a broken light fixture can be an easy fix, outlet repairs can be much more tricky
- Doors (broken doors, handles and locks)- 8%
- Basement Flooding- 4%
- Trees/Bushes- 4%
- Roof/Gutter Issues- 3%
- Broken Garage Door- 3%
- Pest/Bug Control- 3%
- Windows/Broken Seals- 2%
- Sewer Back-Ups- 1%
- Water Heater- 1%
From managing communication with the tenant to shopping around for vendors, even the simplest of fixes can take up valuable time in your day. The good news is a professional property manager is seasoned in dealing with these requests. With years of industry experience, they know who to call for the best service at the best price. A great property management company will also have a full-time maintenance professional on staff to deal with the quick fixes.
When you choose to work with West End, tenants are able to use online portal technology to submit every single request (no more late-night-phone calls). You’ll be able to see in real-time what issues are present in your property, and how often tenants are making requests.
If you’d like to know more about how West End can provide peace of mind for single family rental owners, feel free to fill out our general inquiries form or email us at info@westendmgt.com.