Spending a penny to save a pound is an old saying that definitely applies in this context. In fact, simple preventative maintenance can prevent greater costs down the line. A well maintained property can also be beneficial for your tenant too...
Ongoing maintenance helps keep the property in a good state of repair. It also creates a good impression of you as a landlord and provides a better environment for your tenant to live in. This, in turn, may well encourage them to stay longer.
Signs and signals
There are many early warning signs that maintenance may be necessary...
Landlords should look out for any water damage, cracked or discoloration of plug sockets, blocked guttering, overgrown gardens, broken fencing and, importantly, signs of damp and mould.
Damp and condensation should be nipped in the bud quickly. A regular review of gutters is a good idea as this can be a main cause of damp if not cleared out, especially if trees are in close proximity. And, with all the rain we get here in Oxford, this is more important than ever...
A good example in this rather wet summer would be to clear out gutters rather than have water pouring down the front of buildings, or even worse, over the back of gutters and down inside the fabric of the property.
When it’s raining it is a good time to look at the outside of your property to spot leaking gutters, joints and down pipes. If you have a floored attic it could be some time before you notice a roof leaking into the living accommodation, so make sure you look in the attic itself. Tide-marks and wet patches appearing on ceilings or around windows are important signs too.
Wooden windows cannot be left for long without needing maintenance and generally a 5-year programme of pre-painting repairs and repainting can expand their life span.
It’s also a good idea to spend a few pounds resealing baths and showers, as well as checking shower screens aren’t leaking and removing bath panels to check underneath. A long-standing leak in an upstairs bathroom could cause major work downstairs if the ceiling was to come down.
Maintenance monitoring
Maintenance awareness is key but some landlords say that they find it difficult to monitor maintenance issues as they are not living on site themselves. The answer lies in a combination of tenant feedback and regular inspections...
Tenants have a duty to inform the landlord or agent of any obvious maintenance issues, but often they might not. Regular inspections on a room-by-room basis should also be conducted.
The best person to ask is the tenant who is living and using the property day to day. However, inspections are the real key as they allow you to look at each room yourself and also allow a little time for the tenant to think about any issues they are aware of while you are inspecting.
I know there to be 2 there are two types of maintenance: planned and responsive. Unfortunately, tenants often aren’t as diligent as you would be in checking the fabric of your property so regular inspections could lead to identifying preventative maintenance rather than waiting for a big problem to arise at a more inconvenient time.
Minimum disruption
But how can you ensure disruption is kept to a minimum for your tenant during maintenance?
I always work around the tenant and ask them when they would rather have the work done and usually, if the problem requires immediate attention most tenants are happy to accommodate this. For some maintenance, however, such as decorating and major refurbishment, I would wait for the property to become empty.
If we lived in a perfect world tenants wouldn’t encounter disruption due to maintenance issues but often speed is of the essence in order to prevent matters getting worse and taking even longer to deal with. If an emergency issue arises good communication with tenants is essential. However, planned or routine maintenance, such as external or internal paintwork, are better left for empty periods.
During your tenants’ annual holiday or during the working day are also good times to carry out maintenance.
Holidays are a great time to do major repairs as long as the tenant has appropriate notice and you have their permission to access the property. Also while the tenant is at work could be a good time if they are happy to let the contractor gain access.
A helping hand
One of the best ways to ensure your maintenance is kept up-to-date is to employ the services of a good property management agent.
Properties are like the Forth Bridge and ideally need tinkering with constantly... but inevitably, with a rental property, maintenance is much more intermittent. A good letting agent, can help by inspecting the property on an agreed frequency, plus instructing and managing repairs with their reliable local contractors.
A good agent will have a good basic knowledge of maintenance issues and can often instruct the tenant on what to do regarding the issue or attend ourselves to solve the problem – although this of course does not relate to more specialist areas, such as gas and electrical works.
As many agents offer an emergency out-of-hours service, having their helps also means that issues will be dealt with swiftly – whenever they may arise...
Most agents will deal with reported problems 24/7 and the landlord can be confident that maintenance will be organised within an acceptable timescale to eliminate unnecessary disruption to the tenant.
Maintenance signs to look out for...
Blocked drains
Leaking or blocked guttering
Leaking windows
Mould
Condensation
Water damage
Broken fencing
Signs of damp
Cracked electrical sockets
Leaking taps
Cracked chimney stacks
Dislodged or broken roof tiles
Erosion of shower and bath seals
Crumbling brick or stonework
Deteriorating pointing
Wood beetle infestations
Peeling paintwork
This all seems obvious right? In my experience, NO! Things going wrong often boil down to one of 2 reasons. One is not really understanding what to do or what to look out for in which case I trust this post does wonders for you! The other reason is that, like them or loathe them, you need a quality, organised letting agent in your life, so you can go about enjoying yours. I can help with this as well.
Best
Richard
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