Long Distance Maintenance

[Frank Hotard]

Good Morning Everyone,

First of all thanks to the BP community for the information and support to get into this position.

I have a self-managed SFH rental property across the country. I recently moved and did not hire any help.

There's one tenant renting there and is only present on weekends. The HVAC needs to be repaired.

The problem is I want to support contractors for on-site maintenance on more than just weekends, but the tenant can't support that.

My ideas so far: install a smart lock, provide the code to contractor (security risk), hire a part-time manager, or hire a full-time property management company (most expensive). What have you done to manage properties from a distance?

[Scott Nachitilo]

Honestly, the smart lock with temporary codes is likely your best middle ground; it's cost-effective and minimizes security risk since codes expire. Just vet contractors thoroughly (ask for references/license checks) and notify your tenant as a courtesy.

As for hiring a part-time manager or a full-time PM, it does solve access issues, but it feels overkill for one unit.