Essential Maintenance Tips for Marin County Property Owners - Article Banner

There’s no avoiding rental property maintenance; you’re going to need repairs at your Marin County rental property even if it’s brand new or in relatively good condition. All properties exhibit signs of regular wear and tear, and sometimes you’ll have larger emergency repairs that require budgeting, planning, and strong vendor relationships. 

A good maintenance process can help you save money on routine and emergency repairs. A responsive maintenance process can help you retain tenants. 

So today, we’re sharing some essential maintenance tips for Marin County rental property owners. 

Partner with Tenants and Vendors for Smart Maintenance Management

An effective maintenance plan requires the cooperation of three different parties, which are:

  • The vendors, contractors, and service providers who take care of preventative services and make repairs. 
  • The residents who live on your property and often make maintenance requests.  
  • You – the property owner who wants to protect the condition and value of the investment. 

If you’re working with Giuliani Property Management, you won’t have to worry about finding vendors and responding to tenant requests. We will take care of that for you. If you’re managing on your own, however, you’ll need to be available and accessible when things go wrong. You’ll also have to know how to solve problems quickly and cost-effectively. 

Tenants want to know that their needs are important. It’s acceptable if you can’t get to something non-urgent right away, just make sure you explain to your residents that you’ve received their request, you know it’s important, and you’re going to take the necessary steps to make the repair as soon as possible. Communication is absolutely essential when you’re working with your tenants to resolve a maintenance issue. 

Tenants want to know you’re paying attention to them. So, we always recommend that you give them frequent updates and that you make sure they understand the process for reporting maintenance needs to you. 

Positive Vendor Relationships and Rental Property Maintenance

It’s nearly impossible to have a solid maintenance process in place if you don’t have good relationships with local vendors, contractors, and service providers who are committed to delivering good work and keeping your property in excellent condition. 

You have to be able to trust the people you hire to do the work that your investment needs. You want them to be licensed, insured, and professional. Check their rates and compare prices so you know they’re not overcharging you. Property management companies like ours establish preferred vendor lists, and you should do the same. 

Managing Maintenance Budgets and Reserves

Providing a positive maintenance experience for rental property owners is an important part of what we do as property managers in Marin County. When you work with us, we provide valuable vendor relationships. We have a solid network. We also take care of communicating with tenants. We’re the first point of contact when something goes wrong. 

Owners also count on us to help them keep their maintenance costs down. This requires a lot of experience and a focus on preventative maintenance. When you’re proactive with your routine repairs and your ongoing services and inspections, you can prevent those expensive emergency repairs. 

Each rental property owner has their own way of budgeting for maintenance. Perhaps you have a reserve established, where you hold the equivalent of a couple of months of rent. Maybe you save 10 percent of the rental income you collect every month. Whatever you’re doing to plan and budget for maintenance, make sure you’re clear on where you stand and what might need to be repaired in the next several months. 

Prioritizing Preventative Repairs in Marin County Rental Homes 

Preventative maintenance will save you money on maintaining your property every time. We’ve been managing properties long enough that we can assure you there is not a single repair that has ever become easier or less expensive with time. Avoid deferred maintenance. Make sure your tenants understand the importance of reporting maintenance needs as soon as they’re noticed. And, don’t let the condition of your home deteriorate. 

Preventative maintenance should include a lot of things. 

  • Air filter changes. If the lease agreement indicates that tenants are responsible for changing filters, make sure they know how to change those filters and what size and type of filter they need. 
  • HVAC service and inspections. Having your heating and cooling system checked by a qualified technician every year will ensure that you don’t run into expensive repairs and replacements with your heat or your air conditioning. The HVAC is perhaps one of the most expensive functions of your property. You want to keep it in good shape, and you want to extend its lifespan whenever possible. Keep it maintained. Otherwise, you’ll have to replace it sooner than you should.
  • Plumbing inspections. Water heaters can rust and begin to give you signs that they’re going to fail. Check the irrigation systems in your landscaping, particularly if you have sprinklers on timers. 
  • Roof inspections and care. Our rainy season in California does not typically last long, but we’ve had some weird weather patterns recently. Make sure you’re cleaning out the gutters, keeping branches and trees away from your roof, and looking for ways to prevent moisture and pests from getting into the property. 

Preventative and seasonal maintenance will help you ensure everything is running the way it should, and it will enable you to catch any small issues that have the potential to become more serious. Don’t let those minor maintenance problems escalate. 

Be Responsive With Tenant Repair Requests

The most essential maintenance tip we can provide is to always respond quickly to maintenance requests. Your tenants should know what the procedures are to request routine maintenance as well as emergency maintenance. These will likely be different: 

  • Emergencies will always demand your immediate response; any time there’s a flood, a fire, or a situation that puts your tenants in danger, you need to respond right away. Habitability issues are emergencies. Your tenants should know how to reach you, and you should have a reliable and responsive team of vendors and contractors ready to respond to any help you might need. 
  • Routine maintenance requests should be addressed with almost the same sense of urgency. This reduces risk and liability, and it also keeps your tenants satisfied, which will improve tenant retention. Residents get frustrated quickly when they have a hard time reaching you. This can lead to expensive tenant turnovers. 

When you’re responsive to the maintenance needs of your tenants, you’re showing them that you care about their comfort while they’re living in your property. You’re also demonstrating that you’re committed to the condition of your property. A home that’s left to deteriorate will not only cost you, good tenants, it will also hurt your rental value. So, make it a priority to respond to your tenant’s requests. Document everything, including when the request was made, when you responded, and when the repair was completed. Keep track of all expenses, invoices, and communication. 

Property ManagerConsider working with Giuliani Property Management in Marin County. Property managers can help you save money on maintenance because we’re dedicated to keeping costs down and because we’ve established and maintained positive relationships with local vendors and contractors. 

Let’s talk about how we can help you maintain your property better. Contact us at Giuliani Property Management for maintenance help and any assistance with Marin County property management.