How Often Does Tenants Call You For Repairs/Issues ?

Question

Hi Everyone,

I plan on closing on a duplex soon that has tenants already in it. It will be my first rental property. I've met the tenants and they seem nice and such.

My questions is, how often does your tenants call you for repairs? How do you manage them if you are far away?

Any input would be great.

Thank you

Wesley W. · Answer

I usually conservatively bank on getting one call a quarter per unit on average, but my portfolio is made up of 100+ year old buildings.

If a particular tenant is contacting me for minutiae, I attempt to reset their expectations.  The Pareto principle totally applies here.  A few tenants will comprise the majority of your service calls.  If you are able, remove them from your business to optimize efficiency.

Mark Fries · Answer

@Cody Jensen

1-2 calls a month.

I build relationships with local contractors and then have them contact the tenant directly for scheduling.

Cassi Justiz · Answer

The landlords that I know that get tons of maintenance calls are the ones that don't property maintain their units. One landlord I know always complains about his maintenance calls, but he also buys cheap distressed properties, does the very minimum required rehab get it rented out,  and he doesn't fix or replace anything until it's beyond repair. So every maintenance call he gets is a catastrophe because he doesn't do anything to prevent it.  There will always be exceptions, but if you take care of your units and fix issues as they arise you will generally have less maintenance calls in the long run.

When tenants move into a unit, I ask for a list of everything that isn't working correctly and needs to be repaired. (And then I get those items repaired). Usually after that initial list, I will 1-2 calls per quarter. But it will depend on the individual tenants. I had one set of needy tenants that had random little issues every other month, and other sets of tenants that I only hear from once or twice per year.

Thomas S. · Answer

Very rarely do I get calls. I do inspections quarterly making surprise repairs few and far between. Tenants let me know of issues when I do inspections. Most calls are not repair related, usually just letting me know of activities on or around the property or their plans of being away.

Best to hire a PM if you are away for the benifit of the tennats.

Sylvia B. · Answer

I self-manage 12 tenants and get very few calls, now that I have booted the very needy couple. In one 45 day period, they called 30 times! On the other end of the spectrum is a tenant that has never called in the 3 years he's rented from us. Most have some type of issue about once a year.

Jim K. · Answer

With low-income rentals, we have the opposite problem. People will often not call with minor issues that become bigger and bigger if they're not taken care of. I agree with everyone else here who highlighted the importance of staying on top of maintenance in old buildings, we achieve regular inspections through filter changes and CO2/smoke detector battery changes. We also keep a snag list of every known minor issue in a property. We're routinely in and out fixing items off that list, inviting opportunities to point out issues.

The message has to be clear, the landlord gives a damn and is a solid, reassuring fixture in the tenants' lives. In low-income properties, that's what keeps the place from getting trashed.

Haseeb M. · Answer

I agree! The ones that complain a lot end up getting the most.

You should consider this when renewing a lease and adjust the rent $s accordingly.

Toby Thompson · Answer

-Toby Thompson

Dennis M. · Answer

2 calls per month but I own several 100 year old buildings and in low income areas the tenants income and pay schedule sometimes doesn’t coincide with rent collection day

Caleb Heimsoth · Answer

@Cody Jensen typically 1-2 calls every 2-3 months

How Often Does Tenants Call You For Repairs/Issues ?

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