{"id":185823,"date":"2025-11-26T12:21:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T19:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/?p=185823"},"modified":"2025-11-26T12:22:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T19:22:48","slug":"maintenance-issues-dont-have-to-be-so-hard-just-use-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biggerpockets.com\/blog\/maintenance-issues-dont-have-to-be-so-hard-just-use-ai","title":{"rendered":"Property Maintenance Doesn’t Need to Be So Hard\u2014Just Use AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article is presented by TurboTenant<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintenance might be one of the biggest challenges landlords face. Whether it\u2019s a true emergency or a Sunday afternoon text about a light bulb, keeping up with rental maintenance requests can quickly eat into your time and sanity. If you\u2019ve ever had your phone buzz at 2 a.m., you know what I mean.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rental maintenance requests<\/span><\/a> are a necessary part of owning property, but they don\u2019t have to run your life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Doesn\u2019t Work<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every landlord has a story about that middle-of-the-night message. You know the type: There\u2019s a leaking faucet, tripped breaker, or tenant panicking about something minor.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I first started managing my own rentals, I actually carried two phones\u2014one for personal use, and one strictly for tenants. If a tenant called the \u201crental phone,\u201d I\u2019d jot their issue down on a pink paper form I kept in a stack on my desk. Then I\u2019d hand that form to my maintenance person, who\u2019d coordinate with the tenant, fix the problem, and return the form to me once the job was complete.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This system worked fine when I <\/span>was tied<\/span> to a desk in an office, but once I started scaling, it fell apart fast. <\/span>Calls would come in at all hours, I\u2019d lose track of forms, and sometimes tenants and maintenance were waiting on me <\/span>just<\/span> to relay a simple message.<\/span> And let\u2019s not forget <\/span>about keeping<\/span> up <\/span>with communication<\/span> on scheduling and status updates.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I started <\/span>to move<\/span> out of my business, I needed to think about how to replace my process to be more efficient and to remove myself from <\/span>the process<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Let Maintenance Take Over Your Life<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The thing about maintenance is, it\u2019s not just the repair that takes time. The back-and-forth between your vendors and tenants can really eat into your inbox (and your day). You want to respond quickly to keep great tenants and protect your property, but manual systems make that nearly impossible. <\/span>You <\/span>have<\/span> to update your system <\/span>for<\/span> a more streamlined maintenance process.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big part of streamlining maintenance starts with clarity. Make sure your<\/span> rental lease agreement<\/span><\/a> clearly outlines who\u2019s responsible for what, whether that\u2019s changing light bulbs, testing smoke detectors, or managing lawn care. Clear expectations help prevent confusion and unnecessary back-and-forth later.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with a solid lease, maintenance requests can become a game of tag, because:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n