Property Maintenance Checks

Why are periodic Property Maintenance Checks important?

Property Maintenance Checks serve several different purposes:

We are checking on the home to make sure the tenants are still the ones in the home
Make sure tenants are following the lease
We can catch any unreported maintenance
Check on the general condition of the home

We give the Residents at least 24-hour notice that we will be checking on the property, furnace filters, smoke alarms, and more. While at the property our staff is doing several things.

Lease violations. We are looking for lease violations such as unauthorized pets, unauthorized occupants, smoking indoors, Resident caused damage, or anything else that might catch our eye.
Property condition. All real estate requires preventive maintenance such as painting, repairs, cleaning, pruning, etc. These periodic checks make sure that inexpensive preventive maintenance does not become costly emergency maintenance or even full replacement. For example, painting outdoor windows and trim can help the wood last for years. Neglecting exterior paint can save money in the short term, but cost much more in the long term because replacement will be necessary.
Furnace filters. We will check the heating and A/C filter on forced air HVAC units. Clean filters decrease the wear and tear put on the HVAC unit and increase the life of the unit. Dirty filters can cause A/C A-coils to plug with dirt and cause expensive cleaning bills. In addition, clean filters improve the air quality for residents living at the property.
Smoke Alarms. Smoke alarms have expiration dates, batteries grow old, and residents often remove the alarms or take out the batteries instead of replacing dead batteries. Ineffective smoke alarms put the residents' lives and property at risk, and add to the owner's liability. During the property maintenance checks, we test all smoke alarms, replace expired alarms or dead batteries, and add alarms to rooms that require them per the building code.

Keep in mind that our staff conducting the Property Maintenance Checks are not licensed or certified building inspectors. They are not crawling around attics, examining foundations, checking electrical circuits, or any of the varied inspection points that a home inspector would check prior to a buyer purchasing a property. Our staff is looking for obvious items that need repair or attention.

While at the property our staff will take pictures of items that need attention and any lease violations they observe. The photos are compiled into a report along with notes on what was found and corrective action that needs to be taken. These reports will be forwarded to you and our maintenance manager will follow up on items that need to be repaired.