Unlike office jobs where you work fixed business hours, being a landlord may at times require you to attend to property issues beyond your typical workday. Your tenant may encounter an emergency, such as flooding due to a burst pipe or a power outage that will last a long time.
Resolving property emergencies is crucial and cannot be delayed since it affects the safety of the renters, as well as compromises the condition of your rental property. As a landlord, you must also know how to evaluate whether a property issue is considered an emergency or can be addressed during the normal daytime hours.
Defining a Rental Property Emergency Maintenance
Landlords need to know what situations can be categorized as emergencies. Even if a scenario brings discomfort to a tenant, it may not require an immediate solution.
For example, if the renter notices a minor leak. This can be resolved during regular business hours.
Landlords and tenants must learn to discern what constitutes an emergency that needs fixing right away. A situation can be categorized as a property emergency when it causes:
- Serious injury or harm to the tenants
- Extensive property damage
Anything that results in health and safety risks can be counted as an emergency scenario.
Below are some examples of emergency maintenance concerns:
- Flooding
- Fire
- Frozen pipes
- Gas leakage
- Inadequate heating during winter
- Inadequate air conditioning on extremely hot days
- Issues with the electrical system
- Leaks on the roof
- Extended power outage
- Burglary
Situations That Don’t Fall Under a Maintenance Emergency
Situations that don’t cause harm to the renter and the rental property are not categorized as emergencies. Your renter may report a malfunctioning microwave oven, for example, but since this does not affect their safety or harm your property, then this is not labeled an emergency.
Below are some non-emergency scenarios that property owners can address during regular working hours:
- Inadequate hot water supply
- Inadequate air conditioning (as long as the outside temperature is below 90 degrees)
- Inadequate heating (as long as the outside temperature is above 50 degrees)
- Noise complaints
- Parking conflicts
Managing Rental Property Emergency Maintenance
Since property emergencies occur when least expected, you must be suitably prepared as a landlord. Create contingency plans and an emergency maintenance program that you can set in motion when critical situations occur.
When you can deal with property emergencies efficiently, your tenants will trust you more, and this leads to a stronger landlord-tenant relationship. It can also be a good strategy to keep tenants loyal and retain them over the long term.
Let’s go over some critical factors in handling property emergency maintenance.
Reachability
You must create an environment that makes it easy for residents to contact you when a property emergency surfaces. As the owner of the property, you’ll need to guide your tenants on what to do during these situations.
Emergency Services
As a landlord, you need to have ready access to police, fire, and utility services so that when property emergencies happen during the late hours, they can be quickly resolved. Have a reliable vendor network you can contact 24/7 to help you manage situations that are outside normal occurrences.
Acting fast is always key to dealing with emergencies, and this is made possible by being sufficiently prepared.
Open Communication
Even if a property emergency has been addressed, you still need to let your renters know about the situation by providing updates.
Landlord Responsibilities
It should be clear to landlords what responsibilities are theirs, and which are for the tenant to deal with. If a situation is deemed an emergency, you should be proactive, but if it is not an emergency, you can delegate the task of finding a solution to the renter.
For example, what if a bulb needs to be replaced? Since this has no bearing on the health and safety of the tenants, you can ask them to change the bulb.
Answering Vital Questions
You are expected to know what is happening during an emergency since you will be in charge of making decisions right away. Renters will be asking questions and you need to relay vital information.
An Understanding Perspective
Property emergencies can create an emotionally-charged atmosphere and landlords have to be ready to deal with this. They must take time to listen to their tenants and direct the renters on what to do.
Documentation
You may think that documenting a property emergency is unnecessary since communication is verbal. However, it is still recommended to note down how the situation was resolved, such as the repairs conducted and follow-ups made to completely resolve the issue.
After the crisis passes, email your tenants to sum up what happened and how the situation was resolved to record what transpired.
Hiring Property Managers
If you want to succeed in the rental business, it is advisable to engage the services of a professional property management company to ensure your rental operation is efficient and your property is managed well.
When selecting the best property manager, assess them based on their area of expertise, number of support staff, and available services.
Are you seeking a reliable property management company in your local area? If yes, contact JTS Property Management today! We commit to providing top-of-the-line quality services from marketing and tenant screening to property maintenance and financial recordkeeping.
