A prospective tenant might very well fall in love with a house or apartment before signing the lease. They may move in as happy as clam. But after a while, that sheen will wear off.
Soon enough, their only experience with their property manager and/or landlord, aside from basic updates, is that once a month you take their money. This, of course, is not the best way to win someone's heart.
The only other consistent contact you have with a resident is maintenance and it is here where you can make all the difference.
The biggest expense that you can control as a landlord and/or property manager is reducing your turnover. Less turnover means less vacancy and fewer turnover expenses. And the most effective way to reduce turnover is to increase your lease renewals.
So, how can you accomplish this? Good customer service. And the very best customer service you can offer a tenant is quality maintenance. Think of your tenants as your clients, and your maintenance as customer service!
Tenant Maintenance Requests
Require that maintenance requests be in writing. If applicable, request that they are sent through your property management system. But at the very least, requests should be made via email. That way, there is no confusion as to what is being requested.
Also, ask for permission to enter to be granted up front. Remember, each state’s laws are different regarding notice of entry. So, talk to an attorney to make sure you are in compliance.
That being said, the one thing I would make sure to avoid is allowing a resident to pick the time or negotiating it in each instance. You will inevitably end up with a lot of work orders that need to be done in the morning, at lunchtime, or right after work. This will 1) be a complete headache to schedule and 2) lead to a lot of downtime if you have a maintenance tech on staff or delays if you are using a contractor.
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