Good property managers respond to maintenance issues quickly, but great property managers work to prevent issues from arising in the first place. You anticipate issues, plan for problems, and execute solutions. One key part of prevention is developing a property management preventive maintenance checklist.
For multifamily property managers, a regular preventive maintenance check is standard... and easy. Units are often all contained to one apartment building or community, and it’s quick enough to do a walkthrough and ensure that everything is as it should be.
For single-family or scattered-site property managers, it gets a lot more complicated. Quick walkthroughs more than once or twice a year are impractical and expensive. In fact, one of the best ways to approach prevention is to help equip residents to take preventive measures themselves.
Here at Second Nature, we're constantly asking ourselves, “How do we make it easy for residents to handle preventive care of the property?” In this article, we’ll explore both approaches to preventive maintenance: doing inspections as a property manager, or finding solutions where residents support the process.
Let’s dive in.
Preventive maintenance is a proactive approach to keeping a property in good condition with the purpose of preventing unexpected failures and maximizing longevity.
This type of maintenance encompasses a broad range of activities, from routine inspections to air filter delivery services that keep HVAC systems running smoothly.
By implementing preventive maintenance tactics, property managers aim to prolong the lifespan of property components, maintain property value, and provide a safe, functional, and appealing living environment for residents.
A preventive maintenance inspection is a regularly scheduled, systematic evaluation of a property designed to identify and rectify any emerging issues before they escalate into serious problems.
In other words, a preventive maintenance inspection is like a health check-up for a property. A well-documented inspection also provides a record of maintenance that can be valuable for insurance claims, move-outs, and more.
Generally, single family property managers find themselves in three different camps when it comes to property inspections:
In fact, we conducted a casual Facebook poll to see what single-family property managers said about the frequency of their property inspections. Most PMs who responded said they conduct an annual inspection. A smaller amount said they conduct two inspections per year, and another group said they do it only when needed. A very small amount of property managers polled said they conduct quarterly inspections.
But there’s also a fourth option: partnering with a third-party vendor to help manage prevention. There's a lot that residents can do themselves to prevent larger issues from ever developing, but they need a little bit of support to get started.
For example, if a resident is changing their air filter on time, the property manager is going to get fewer HVAC tickets, and the HVAC system is going to last longer. If you have a reliable way to provide air filters to residents exactly when they're needed, residents can stay on top of their filter changes.
P.S: Want to see more insights and tips, and participate in future polls?
Let’s say your company prioritizes regular inspections. Crafting a preventive maintenance checklist for property management is all about anticipating needs and averting potential issues before they arise.
Every property is different, so building your checklist begins with a thorough assessment of the building's unique features and vulnerabilities. By understanding the life cycle of various components of a property across the seasons—from HVAC systems to appliances—you can prioritize tasks and schedule maintenance in a way that minimizes wear and tear.
Your checklist will likely include the following categories:
With input from OnSightPROS, we’ve built a preventive maintenance checklist template for single-family rental property management companies. Feel free to use this template as-is or tweak it to fit your particular properties!
If you want a downloadable, in-depth template for all types of rental inspections, download it here.
With Second Nature’s On-Demand Pest Control, residents can call a professional at the first sign of any issues. We handle it for you, typically with no cost at point of service.
Preventative maintenance may seem like a hassle, but it can save significant money down the road. Even something as simple as getting air filters delivered on time can reduce HVAC costs by hundreds of dollars annually. Preventive maintenance isn’t just about keeping the property in good shape—it's a strategic approach that yields all kinds of benefits.
By prioritizing prevention, you can:
By incorporating a preventive maintenance strategy, property managers not only safeguard the property's physical condition, but also its financial viability and desirability in the market. It's a proactive measure that resonates well with residents and investors alike.
Here’s the big question: how can property managers for single-family homes make preventive maintenance easier without breaking the bank?
As we saw in our Facebook poll, scattered-site properties don’t lend themselves well to frequent inspections. The best solution is to help your residents do it themselves.
Here are three of our favorite products to get that done.
We’ve built a Resident Benefits Package with proactive property management in mind. Each individual benefit—from renters insurance to on-demand pest control to air filter delivery—aims to address ongoing needs and prevent common issues from escalating.
Let’s take air filter delivery as an example. In the largest HVAC data study of its kind, filter delivery service reduced HVAC ticket requests by 38%
Just by including a filter subscription for your residents, you can help them cut energy costs and ensure your HVAC system lasts for the long term.
Learn more about all of the features of our Resident Benefits Package and how it delivers results for residents, property investors, and property management companies.
RentCheck is a property inspection app built to help residents do inspections on their own. The property manager can request and track routine inspections from the resident.
You can set up any cadence you want and customize the self-guided inspection requirements.
RentCheck will fully automate reminders and support residents in completing a video inspection that then gets sent to you as a shareable report.
zInspector is another very popular rental inspection app in the SFR property management space.
Like RentCheck, property managers use zInspector to schedule, customize, and receive inspections conducted by residents themselves. The app also includes a toolkit with an evolving set of property and task management tools.
You can get 360º photos and virtual tours with a compatible 360º camera and printable, customizable inspection reports.
Preventive maintenance offers a multitude of benefits, including:
Overall, preventive maintenance is essential for maintaining a property's integrity, ensuring resident satisfaction, and optimizing operational budgets.
Basic preventive maintenance for property management typically encompasses:
These tasks are designed to identify and address issues before they develop into more significant problems, helping to ensure the property remains safe, functional, and appealing to residents.
The ideal schedule for preventive maintenance can vary depending on the specific needs of a property, but as a general guideline:
Ready to see how a Resident Benefits Package can save you time on preventative maintenance and get you focused on value-driving activities? Register for an upcoming RBP Workshop to hear from real property managers about how they've streamlined so many preventative maintenance tasks.