When owning and managing a rental property, one of the most significant responsibilities is knowing when to respond to maintenance issues. Not all problems need your immediate attention. But, while you can handle some issues during regular business hours, other scenarios require urgent and immediate attention.
Your tenants rely on you for quick responses to
keep their homes safe and operational, so it’s essential to identify which maintenance issues are true emergencies versus those that can wait until regular business hours.
In this blog post, we at Advantage Realty Service will discuss how landlords can properly assess emergent vs. non-emergent maintenance requests and what steps must be taken if an issue becomes an emergency.
What Are Emergency Maintenance Issues?
Emergency maintenance issues are any repair or maintenance task that needs to be done immediately due to a potential threat to safety, security, or health of the residents and property. Emergency maintenance could include:
- Water leaks
- Broken windows or doors
- Flooding
- Fire or smoke damage
- Loss of heat or air conditioning
- Carbon monoxide detection
- Electrical hazards or power outages
- Intruder break-in
- Structural damage or safety hazards
- Gas leaks
It’s essential to respond quickly to any of these emergency maintenance issues. In some cases, emergency maintenance may even require the evacuation of a building or area. Emergency maintenance issues often require immediate action to prevent additional damage or injury. It’s essential to address emergency maintenance as soon as possible to minimize potential harm.
Tips to Address Emergency Maintenance Issues
Knowing how to identify, address, and document maintenance emergencies can help ensure your facility's and occupants' safety. Here are some tips on how to address emergency issues:
Create an Emergency Plan
Develop a plan of action to coordinate all aspects of the response when emergencies arise. This can include who will be responsible for each task and how resources will be allocated. You should also assign roles to determine who is in charge of handling emergency calls, monitoring repair progress, or managing supplies.
Provide 24/7 Answering Service
Providing 24/7 emergency service is essential to ensure that tenants can reach someone quickly, regardless of the time of day. This includes providing a phone number or email address that is staffed by someone who can respond to emergency requests or redirect calls to the appropriate person.
Keep Communication Open
Maintain communication once the problem is reported. Provide regular updates to tenants and employees about the status and improvement of the rally. You can do this through email, text message, or other communication channels, such as a building website or mobile app. Note that it’s best to have these updates in writing.
Understand the Issue
When responding to an emergency maintenance request, always understand the issue. This will help ensure that the right resources are allocated and that efficient steps are taken to address the it.
Document Everything
Documenting all aspects of an emergency is key for proper reporting, tracking progress, and prevention in the future. Keeping detailed records of each incident with photos, the date and the time it was reported, descriptions of the problem, and any actions taken to resolve it, can help inform future decisions.
Make Yourself Available to Answer Questions
Regardless of the maintenance issue, it’s important to make yourself available to answer any questions tenants or employees may have. This means being willing to respond promptly and providing
clear communication, instructions and directions on what needs to be done to address the situation safely.
Establish Positive Relationships with Vendors
Having an excellent relationship with vendors can be a significant asset. Having a good rapport means that they will be more likely to come to you in an emergency, and they may even have access to resources that can help speed up the process of resolving the issue.
Establishing trust and communication with your vendors can also ensure that all parties involved are on the same page regarding the issue's nature and potential solutions. Additionally, it’s essential to be open and honest with your vendors about any problems you may be experiencing as this will allow them to understand your needs better and provide more meaningful support.
What Maintenance Issues Can Wait for Regular Business Hours?
It's essential to call for maintenance services when necessary, but some minor problems can wait until regular business hours. Common ones include:
- Minor plumbing issues
- Malfunctioning thermostats
- Jammed windows
- Leaking faucets
- Nonfunctional lights or ceiling fans
- Issues with outdoor lighting and landscaping
- Minor HVAC issues
- Minor cosmetic repairs
How to Address Non-Emergency Maintenance Issues
The followings are tips to address non-emergent issues:
Provide Answering Service
The landlord can only attend to some maintenance issues as soon as they arise. To ensure that tenants receive timely help, a landlord must set up an answering service. The service will provide tenants with the necessary information on handling the issue and when they can expect it to be resolved.
This can help tenants avoid unnecessary delays in resolving the issue and provide tenants with a
sense of security that the problem is being addressed quickly. Note that just because it isn’t emergent, doesn’t mean you should take prompt action during regular business hours.
Hire A Property Management Company
For landlords who want to avoid handling the maintenance issues themselves, it’s essential to consider hiring a property management company. They will be able to provide tenants with all the necessary information about how to handle maintenance issues with all the required resources.
Bottom Line
Awareness of the maintenance issues that should be addressed during regular business hours and those that require immediate attention is essential. While minor issues can usually wait until normal operating hours, it’s essential to recognize and address potential safety hazards as soon as possible.
If you would like help
managing your rental properties, contact the experts at Advantage Realty Services today!
