What is Property Maintenance?
Put simply, the term “property maintenance” encompasses all the tasks performed in the care and upkeep of a property.
This maintenance can be reactive or proactive. Understanding the differences between these types of maintenance becomes important when you’re seeking out professionals to care for your property and treat it like their own.
Reactive Maintenance vs. Proactive Maintenance: What’s the Difference?
A property manager who is more interested in “just keeping things running” than ensuring long-term property upkeep is likely to only respond to problems that require immediate fixes.
They will fix appliances, repair any pipes that have caused flooding, replace any broken smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, or clean out any clogged gutters. However, they are less likely to do the routine maintenance tasks and best practices for property upkeep that keep your assets profitable for decades down the line.
Maintenance professionals who take a proactive maintenance approach perform preventative maintenance checks to spot needed fixes—like HVAC units, elevators, or boilers that need extra care—before they become disasters for you and your tenants. They are also up to date on any local real estate laws that might affect your property, and are able to help you strategize your property’s continued growth and return on investment.
What Are the Benefits of Performing Both Types of Property Maintenance?
Maintenance costs can be expensive.
When you have a property maintenance team who is committed to caring for your property and keeping aware of its condition, you are able to avoid costly repairs that could have been avoided with routine maintenance (and the possible liability or lawsuit concerns that property owners sometimes encounter when routine maintenance is not performed and a problem occurs).
You can also enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing that an experienced property manager is not just caring for the physical aspects of your rental property, but is cultivating a positive living experience that will keep your tenants satisfied.
By building a reputation in your local market as a property owner who responds to problems quickly and without complaint, you will foster the kind of trust with your tenants that will turn them into long-term renters. You will also build the kind of local market reputation that will leave every qualified renter in town eager to rent your property.
Should I Hire a Property Maintenance Team or Perform Property Upkeep Myself?
An experienced property maintenance team will know exactly what it takes to keep an investment property profitable, and will have the local market experience and real estate law knowledge to preserve your property’s profitability and maximize your return on investment.
They will also have the tools and connections needed to make sure that any maintenance projects are done by credible and certified technicians who will do the job right.
Since 1969, Quantum Residential has been a professional maintenance management team (accredited through the Institute of Real Estate Management) specializing in multifamily communities in the Pacific Northwest. Contact us to hear more about how we can boost your return on investment while making property maintenance easier for you.