Unlike office jobs where you work within a set regular period from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. keeping your rental property habitable requires performing maintenance tasks sometimes outside of these normal working hours. 

What happens during property emergencies when it’s already past the regular working hours? As a landlord, you are likely to encounter critical situations after-hours and you need to be fully prepared to resolve them.

This article will focus on how to deal with a property emergency and how to define them. A tenant may call you requesting a quick property maintenance which is not categorized as an emergency. So landlords should be able to distinguish property emergencies that require immediate solutions from those that can be fixed during normal business hours.

What Covers Rental Property Emergency Maintenance?

You need to know what counts as property emergencies since some may not require prompt attention. While some things can be unpleasant, such as noise issues, you can investigate the matter in the daytime. 

Situations that cause harm to the renters, risk their safety, and contribute to massive property damage can fall under a property emergency. The other cases you can consider as an emergency are the following: 

• Fire

As a landlord, you have to be adept at managing property emergencies to inspire renters to sign a lease renewal. Below is a list of tips you can try for effective emergency maintenance in your rental property.

Availability

Landlords must give their contact information so that tenants can call them in an emergency. You are expected to stay on top of things and give instructions, give responses, or keep the tenants informed about any updates on the situation, even if you are unable to rectify the matter immediately.

Emergency Services

Aside from ensuring tenants have easy access to the contact numbers of police, fire, and utility services departments, you must also have a list of reliable vendors to contact after hours. It is always good to be prepared ahead of time for potential property emergency problems.

What if a renter experiences flooding due to pipe issues? You need to be able to call a repair specialist to ensure that the problem is fixed right away. Make sure you have a network of trusted vendors on standby for these urgent situations.

Communication

Make sure your lines of communication with renters remain open. Just because you have contacted a vendor to handle a burst pipe, this does not mean the issue is over. 

Provide regular updates to the renter from the arrival time of the vendor to asking for feedback after a few days whether the problem is completely resolved.

Landlord Duties

Even if you have several tasks to attend to, you need to ensure that property emergencies are prevented and handled correctly if they occur. Learning the difference between what can wait during regular business hours vs. what requires your immediate attention is also vital to ensure your resources are well-managed.

Proper Documentation

In an emergency situation, landlords may communicate verbally, but they also need to be able to capture and document the incident for future reference. It is advisable to record all that happened, along with an estimate of the cost of repairs. Landlords should also follow up to make sure the matter has been completely fixed.

Hiring A Property Manager

During a maintenance emergency, a seasoned property management company like First & Main Property Management becomes an invaluable ally. Their experienced team ensures swift and efficient resolution of issues, ranging from plumbing mishaps to electrical failures. 

Proactive in approach, routine property inspections allow for early detection of potential problems, averting crises before they escalate. The seamless coordination with skilled contractors ensures timely repairs, minimizing disruptions for tenants. 

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