The good news about maintaining your multi-dwelling units in a Philadelphia rental building is that your per-unit cost is going to be much lower than if you’re renting out single-family properties. To effectively protect the condition of your investment and remain responsive to your residents, you’ll need a comprehensive plan in place for routine and emergency maintenance. You’ll also want to think about preventative maintenance because when you’re proactive, you save money and time.
Choosing Licensed and Insured Vendors
Work with licensed and insured vendors who can be trusted to do good work and deliver customer service to your residents. You’ll need to establish relationships with plumbers, electricians, roofers, HVAC technicians, and other professionals who know you and your properties. Discuss costs and timelines before you agree to any work.
When you work with a professional Philadelphia property management company, find out if they use in-house maintenance teams or private vendors and contractors. A property manager should be able to negotiate better rates and ensure your property is a priority when work is needed.
Establish a Process for Requesting and Responding to Maintenance
Your residents will need to know how to get in touch with you if there’s a repair that needs to be made. That’s the first part of your process. For emergencies, your tenants should know to call you right away, unless it’s a life threatening issue and they need to call the fire department or 9-1-1 first.
For general repairs, it’s our recommendation that you ask your residents put the maintenance request in writing. This will keep the process well-documented, professional, and accountable. You can have tenants send an email or text you with the problem. Then, you can respond in writing and follow up with them after the work is complete. Everything will be in writing, and you can refer to those records when future maintenance needs arise or if there’s a dispute about work that was completed.
Preventative Maintenance: Where to Focus
The weather in Philadelphia can get pretty cold in the winter. With high winds, freezing temperatures and then a switch to humid summers, your rental property’s heating and cooling system will work hard all year long. This is one of the most expensive systems in your building, so you want to make sure it’s running as efficiently and effectively as it can. Preventative maintenance is critical. Have a technician come out to your multifamily building twice a year, between each season, to inspect and clean the HVAC systems. This will ensure that any problems are detected early. You’ll know your tenants are unlikely to complain about a loss of heat in January or their air conditioning not working in July.
Plumbing can also add up to major expenses if you’re not paying attention. Inspect all the water heaters at least once a year. Test the pressure relief valves, and look for any evidence of rust or corrosion. Check for leaks and look at the intake screen. You should flush the water tanks once a year to protect against having them leak or explode in the middle of the night.
Schedule Seasonal Maintenance Issues
Cleaning the furnace, inspecting the roof and the gutters, looking for leaks, and winterizing your building should all be part of your seasonal and preventative maintenance plans. Taking care of these things once or twice a year will ensure you don’t suddenly have to make major and expensive repairs.
Emergencies are always going to be possible, no matter how well you maintain your investment property. There’s always going to be a surprise or a sudden repair that’s needed to protect the habitability of your units. But, if you can ensure qualified technicians are regularly inspecting and servicing your rental property and its functions, you won’t have a large number of those emergencies.
TCS Management is a full service property management company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also serving Cherry Hill, NJ, Wilmington, Delaware and the surrounding areas. We focus on single-family and multifamily residential property management of homes, condos, townhomes, and apartment buildings. If you’d like some help maintaining your rental property investments, please contact us.
