Flipper/Rehabber · Tacoma, WA · Member since 2016 · 100 posts · 34 votes
You amazing investors who have a large sample size, what are the things you can count on maintaining or replacing every month?
Here's what I've seen with my 3 units:
1. Microwave stuff - just replace this when it breaks the first time.
2. Tub hardware - leaky / dripping.
3. Washing machines - again, replace this (sample size of 1).
For me, it's almost always plumbing or kitchen related. I've rarely/never gotten any other issues...
Real Estate Agent · Buena Park, CA · Member since 2016 · 743 posts · 424 votes
10y
Appliances need repairs,landscaping and prevention of bug infestations.leaky faucets and toilets need repairing,HVAC problems either whole property or just individual units.Always somebody with a problem that wants to accuse you of being a slumlord.
Flipper/Rehabber · Tacoma, WA · Member since 2016 · 100 posts · 34 votes
10y
I forgot landscaping. Honestly it's a nightmare. Easily $100/month.
Do you make tenants responsible for this? Would you evict over it? What happens when they do a junk job of it?
Rental Property Investor · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2016 · 296 posts · 243 votes
10y
I've had horrible luck with tenants and landscaping. If your property is in phoenix, you are just silly to think that they will handled it. Landscapers in the valley are everywhere, and super cheap. I have one, he has a truck, takes venmo, and uses his iphone to text me a picture of the yard every time he goes.
On a 100-unit building, (don't have one...yet) I've read that the big guys use automation to their advantage. Chart and predict on the small stuff, replace plumbing cartridges (what leaks) on a semi-regular basis and you don't get the 3am calls or the water damage.
Electrical should be upgraded to LED fixtures, which use very little power, don't use bulbs, and last for about 6 years of straight use before dying. They're also available on amazon for stupidly cheap.
Appliances - get with a local appliance repair shop, and put yourself on a rotating schedule for maintenance, and just make it happen.
Fire sprinklers need periodic service, buildings should be pressure washed yearly, and parking lots re-striped on a semi-annual basis, which should include painting the parking stops.