Last week was a doozy for me when it came to my rental properties. We had a horrible rainstorm one day and I got a call from a tenant about leaks in the roof and the windows.
After that, I got a call that a tenant had moved out early and left the place a mess. And then I got a call that a tenant had accidentally driven his car into the house. (Believe it or not, this is the second time I’ve had a tenant drive a car into one of my houses.)
Now, when you own a ton of properties you’re obviously going to have repairs and problems come up. Several years ago, I would have been really upset when all this happened in the same week, but now it’s like water off a ducks back. It’s all part of the business.
With the house that leaks, I have my handyman taking care of it.
With the house that got driven into, his insurance is taking care of it. And with the messy house I’ve got plenty of money security deposit wise and I’ve already got a couple interested in it.
So even though this wasn’t the point of this article, when you’re in this business after awhile you won’t let things like this bother you and you’ll realize it’s the cost of doing business.
Now, my point of the article is how I handle repairs on my properties. You see, when a tenant calls and says the washer is broken, or the toilet is clogged, a lot of landlords rush over there to do it themselves, or they rush over there to meet the plumber when he is at the property.
I do neither of these things.
If there is a repair needed at one of my properties, my handyman calls my tenant and my tenant and handyman schedule a time to meet. My time is far too valuable to be running around waiting for repairmen, or letting my handyman into a house to fix a sink.
If you’re thinking that your tenants would never do this, you are wrong. You’re the boss and you establish the rules. When a tenant first moves into a property of mine, I go over all the rules, which include that if there are any repairs or problems, they will schedule with my handyman and it is there responsibility to set up a time to meet with them.
If they don’t like it, then they’re not going to be my tenant, but I’ve never had anyone object to it.
So if you’re a landlord, or planning to be one, have a backbone and remember that you’re in charge. Make your life as easy as possible when it comes to managing your properties so you’re not driving around from house to house and losing your sanity.
Photo: mjmonty
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Article Author: Jason HansonJason has written 185 articles for us.
Visit Jason's Website: http://www.PrimoCoach.com
Jason R. Hanson is the founder of National Real Estate Investor Month and the author of “How to Build a Real Estate Empire”. Jason specializes in purchasing properties “subject-to” and has purchased millions of dollars worth of property using none of his own cash or credit.
Joshua Dorkin
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Absolutely right!
I did not start investing in real estate to create a job for myself. I’m not interested in adding more to my plate by running around fixing toilet leaks.
Instead, I found a VERY reliable handyman who takes take of everything for me. That frees my time up for far more important things – like finding and buying properties!
I have to agree. Your tenants will object to this unless you really sell it with confidence. As long as you trust your handyman, this is the absolute best way to handle maintenance issues. If you have more than a couple properties, you can spend nearly all your time running around to your properties.
Jason right on about these.
Although, having all these happen at once would really irritate me!